Baby Quell for Katniss
by Wild-Chime-Child
Summary: How I think Catching Fire would have been if Katniss had really been pregnant. was ment to be one-shot but people wanted more! Second Part is up!
1. Chapter 1

**Leave us: Summary: Katniss and Peeta are at their houses watching the announcement of the quarter quell. There is a camera crew there filming the victors. Katniss really is pregnant and they hint at that but don't really say it. So, Enjoy!**

I stare at the screen a moment. I can't process what Snow just said. Finally reality hits me like a bucket of ice cold water. I can feel the cameras trained on me. I'm angry. I think at Snow.

"Peeta!" I scream. I stand so abruptly the camera nocks over. I run to the door, pushing the camera crew and cameras out of the way. They all fall against the walls to let me pass as I dash out into the snow.

I see Peeta come hurtling out of his house at the same time I come out. I run to him and he meets me half way with a huge hug that feels like he'll never let go.

I sob into his shirt and he lays his cheek on my head. I still sob and I feel a few hot tears of his drip onto my head.

"What are we going to do?" I sob. I indicate my pregnancy issue. I cant go back into the games like that.

"We'll figure something out." Peeta whispers into my hair. He rubs my back.

"How are you so calm?" I ask, half in anger, and half in wonder.

"Because I know you'll make it out alive." He says very quietly. I sob even more. I look up and see Peeta's face better. Now I can see that he has a worried look on his face. He looks so scared. I have never seen Peeta like this; I hope he isn't like this in the games. That would be bad.

"Anything to say love birds?" a snippy voice of one of the camera men that came out of Peeta's house echo's in my ear. I turn around in Peeta's grasp.

"Get out you hog!" I scream and fling my arm out at him. He shrinks back as well as everyone else. I just collapse back into Peeta's arms. Although my sobs are quieter.

Peeta calms me down. His arms around me reassure me in a way no one else can.

"Come one Katniss." Peeta pulls away a little way. "Let's go inside. We'll freeze out here." I haven't noticed the cold. But now I realize my teeth are chattering.i hold my arms out and Peeta scoops me up bridal style and carries me back into my house.

"What happened?" one of my camera men asks when we get inside. "Is she alright? Will she be able to film?" Peeta punches him in the face. The man stumbles to the ground and Peeta sets me down lightly on the couch.

"Just get out! All of you!" he screams. He points to the door.

"Peeeeeeta!" I moan. I close my eyes to try and cut out the noise of my beloved Peeta screaming in a very uncharacteristic way.

Peeta eminently stops screaming and goes over to me. I put my head in his lap and he strokes my hair as my mother talks to all of the camera men and women telling them to leave.

Finally they do and Peeta and I are left alone. For once.

"Well we know one thing now." I say.

"Hmmm?" he asks.

"We're going back to the games." I sigh.

I will kill Snow and destroy the whole capitol for this. 


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm glad to do another chapter! Yay! I'm glad people read my first chapter and liked it! Thanks to all those who reviewed!**

**I also noticed this while looking for Hunger Games fan fiction… there is a lot of 'what if Katniss was really pregnant' for **_**Mockingjay**_**. Not much for Catching Fire. So this is fun doing something that not many people do!**

**I DON'T OWN THE HUNGER GAMES SO DON'T SUE ME!**

Chapter 2:

The next day the reaping is very easy. I get chosen so quickly it only takes a minute or less. Haymitch gets picked and then Peeta makes this whole speech about how he can't let Haymitch go back into the games with me going in so he volunteers. It almost makes me cry on public TV, almost. I'm stronger than that.

I'm expecting us to be taken into the Justice Building for our good byes, but we're just escorted through the mob of ridiculous reporters to the train. When we get inside we wave until District 12 is less than a speck in the distance. I lean my head against Peeta's shoulder and close my eyes. He kisses the top of my head and rests his head on top of mine as we watch the speeding country roll by.

After half an hour of just watching silence the sun is setting and Peeta says: "We should go to dinner." I keep my eyes closed and nod my head.

We walk silently back to our rooms. Peeta only dips into his room a moment to freshen up. All I want to do is change clothes. I quickly change into a blue shirt and black pants. I keep my shoes on though, they were my mother's and I want to remember her.

I meet Peeta in the hall and we walk to the dining room in silence again. I try to think of something to say… but I don't have anything. Even Peeta, who is so good with words can't think of something to say.

When we reach the dining room Effie is already scolding Haymitch about them not being on the train for two hours and he already looted the kitchen of all the alcohol. Wow, he works fast.

Effie stops her rant when she sees us and smiles. Haymitch is lying face down on the table, so all we get from him is a grunt. I don't mind. I'm hungry, I always seem to be. Now that there is a baby in me I need to eat more. Well, that's what mother said. But I don't really trust mother… I guess I'm going to have to trust her, _this time only!_

When the food is brought I dig in quickly. It's some kind of sushi with a fish in it. I don't really know how fast I'm eating until Effie coughs politely. I stop eating so fast but still eat two more plates. Peeta stifles a laugh when he sees me. He knows why I'm so hungry and I can tell he thinks it's funny. I hit him playfully with my napkin.

This makes Haymitch look up. He grunts again and goes back to playing with him sushi.

Later we go and watch the recaps in the TV room. Peeta gets his notebook and takes note on who will be our competition. I sit next to him and curl up against his side. He wraps his arm around me and pats my stomach grinning slightly. I want to laugh too, but not because I find it funny. He's tickling me!

The recaps are boring and just like all the others that I've seen. Nothing special happens. We watch them while Peeta makes notes and Effie does these strange little comments about either this person or that. I don't really pay attention. I like watching Peeta's hand. The way it moves it so rhythmic and slowing I almost fall asleep a few times. Then I'm jerked awake by the loud snore of Haymitch who is sleeping in a chair by the TV. The bottle of liquor that was in his hand slips out and crashes to the floor. He wakes with a start, looks around and goes back to sleep. Effie is constantly poking him to get up and go to bed and finally I'm too tired to stay awake.

I bid Effie and a snoring Haymitch goodnight and kiss Peeta on the for head.

When I reach my cabin I fall asleep quickly. But I am awakened by a nightmare a few hours later. Peeta isn't beside me so I grab my robe and go look for him. I hear sounds from the TV room. When I enter I find Peeta still siting where I left him. His pen draws noted on his paper. I sneak up behind him and kiss him on the cheek. He jumps and looks at me, smiles and motions for me to sit with him.

"Can't sleep?" he asks.

"Can't go back to sleep. I had a nightmare." I shrug.

"I heard you screaming. I was just about to go wake you up but you stopped so I figured you were alright." He shrugs and I nestle closer to him. He is very hot; I can feel his body heat.

"Hmm." I say. "What are you watching?" I indicate the box of tapes on the table in front of us.

"Johanna Mason. She was cannibal." I feel Peeta shudder and I do to. I do _not_ want to get eaten by a cannibal. Peeta leans forward and pulls another tape from the box. It has a big number 50 plastered on it. We didn't bother to watch this video before because it feels like invading Haymitch's space. I don't know why.

"Want to watch it?" I say. I don't want to wait for an answer; I pluck the tape out of his hands and slide it into the player.** (A.N) if you want to know what Haymitch's Hunger Games were like go and read the book. I think it's on page 196 and on. I don't feel like copying it all down, plus that would be plagiarism and I don't want to get sued.) **

When it's done we just sit in silence until we hear a gruff voice behind us.

"Well, now ya saw it." We turn and see Haymitch standing in the door way. Looking stern but not mad. "I used the Games as a weapon and I paid the price too." He nods at me. "And they'll make you two pay for what you did in the first Hunger Games too." He goes and slumps into an armchair.

"What did they do to you?" Peeta asks. I wish he wouldn't have asked that. I squirm next to him.

"They got rid of my family. Killed my girl. Everything I loved. Don't think they'll hesitate to kill off you two." He nods at my abdomen. "You can't keep that hidden for long." I'm shocked he found out and Haymitch laughs at the face I'm making. "You didn't think you could keep that from 'yer mentor did ya?" I nod my head and Haymitch laughs so hard he falls off the arm chair he was perched on.

"Let's go." Peeta whispers in my ear. I don't hesitate when he pulls me to my feet and we walk back to our compartment. Peeta doesn't even dip inside his this time. We just go right into mine. I have to use the bathroom and when I come out Peeta is already in bed. I climb in and rest my head on his chest. I don't think I'll have any nightmares this time.

Chapter 3: **(A.N) so ya this is going to be a double chapter. I didn't want to make a boring chapter so I just added this one with the opening ceremonies)**

When I wake with Effie knocking on my door and shouting at me that my prep team will be here in 5 minutes. I groan and Peeta wakes up.

"Everything alright?" he asks. I groan again. This time not because of my prep team or Effie. I can feel something or some_one_ rolling around in me. Since we hadn't told anyone about the baby I felt like we should at least tell our prep teams and stylists. I told Peeta this and he agreed that this was a good idea. They would find out anyway.

"Here, lie down." Peeta orders. I do as he says and he lies next to me. I close my eyes and Peeta strokes my belly. It isn't very big so all it does is tickle me. I giggle. But my eyes are very heavy and I fall back asleep.

My sleep is interrupted about a second later with my prep team bursting into my room. They all fall silent when they see that I was asleep.

Peeta is ordered to leave for _his_ prepping. And with an apology he does. I sit stubbornly on the tip of my bed and look down. I look up just as Peeta is leaving and he mouths "are you going to tell them now? I'll tell mine now." I nod my head for both of those while my prep team looks confused.

When the door closes they all burst into tears. They all go to doing my hair and nails, but they keep smearing it with their tears. I find myself consoling them which is pretty silly considering that I'm the one who's going to die.

After a while they fall silent and I take my chance to tell them.

"What would you say if I told you I was pregnant?" I ask as innocently as possible. They don't buy it and look at me with stunned faces. They all drop what they are doing.

"OH MY GOD!" they all scream at once. I have to cover my ears from the noise.

I give up that I'm just asking a simple question and hiss at them: "But it's a secret! Don't announce it to Panem!" I think for a moment. "Until tomorrow night." They all bust into questions and I do my best to answer. Most are obvious and they answer them by themselves so I don't have much work to do.

Although soon enough they are crying again and they have to go back to work. When they're done 5 minutes later I feel like I could be wrung out like a wet rag.

"Remember! It's a secret!" I shout over their shoulder which only brings on a new flood of tears.

Cinna is waiting at the door and walks in as soon as they leave. "What secret?" he asks mildly.

"I'm pregnant." I say with a shrug. Cinna raises an eyebrow and has me stand up. He twirls me around and even pokes my abdomen a few times for kicks. I laugh every time.

"We'll have to take new measurements. Although I think you'll be fine for the dress we already have for you." He says in a cheery voice. "Since when I walked in you were talking about it being a secret I guess you don't want people to know for now?" I nod my head. "That will be tricky but we can make it work."

He does some touch ups on my make-up and hair then slips my dress over my looks simple. A black dress that goes down to my ankles. Cinna presses a button on my wrist and it sparks to life and lo and behold… I look like fire. My dress looks like the burning coals and my face reflects it like fire. Cinna flips it off so it can save power. He puts a crown on me to finish the look.

"Now, this time we don't want either of you two to be smiling or waving or do anything besides hold hands."

"I wont have a problem with _that_." I say. Easy.

Cinna escorts me down into the loading room. He has things to do so he says good luck and leaves. I look around. I don't see Peeta or Haymitch so I go over to our chariot. I pet the horses. For a minute. I hope I'm not noticed. I get no such luck.

"Hi Katniss!" I turn and see Finnick Odiar standing next to me. Uncomfortably close actually.

"Hello Finnick." I say. I move a little farther away from him. He smiles coyly.

"Want some sugar?" he asks. _No_. I think. _It could be bad for my baby. But what does one sugar cube do?_

"Thank you." I say. I take the smallest one from his hand and pop it in my mouth. It tastes good.

"It's too bad you got put back in these games. What a coincidence!" he throws up his hands in mock frustration. _Ya. _I think. _A coincidence, that's what it was. _"oh well, some things you just cant change." He sighs. "You could have had everything. Jewels, Money, anything!"

"What about you?" I ask. "Don't you deal in Jewels and Money?"

"I haven't done _that_ in years. I deal in secrets now." He all but whispers. I shiver at the way he says 'secrets' and I'm glad that I took a step back from him. "What about you? Girl on fire, do you have any secrets from me?" he leans in and I take another step away.

"No, I'm terribly an open book." I say.

"Unfortunately that is true." I take another convulsive step beck and bump into Peeta standing behind me.

"Hello Finnick." He says.

"Hello Peeta. Fancy seeing you here?" Finnick says back. Peeta smiles. "I don't really." Finnick smiles. Then saunters away.

"What did Finnick want?" Peeta asks me. I turn so I'm facing him very closely. He is wearing the same thing I am except not in dress form.

"He wanted to know my secrets." I say. "I didn't tell him anything. I'm not an idiot."

Peeta nods and we are told to go stand in out chariots. Peeta gets in and holds his hand out for me. He helps me up and we stand in silence while the other chariots roll out. Every time the doors open I can hear the defining roar of the crowd outside. I adjust Peeta's tie while he straightens my crown. I take his wrist and press his button. He instantly comes to life. He looks beautiful. When he presses mine we both glow with life.

When the doors open for us I have to suppress my smiles. Cinna told us to look serious; I thought that would be easy. Wrong. The crowd is ballistic! Waving and screeching our names. But I look forward and keep a straight face for most of it. But I crack at the very end when we're about to go back inside. My smile flashes for a moment with the berets amount of laughter.

When the doors close I crack up laughing. Peeta looks at me like I'm crazy.

"Katniss, are you alright?" he asks. I just can't stop laughing. I don't even know what's so funny! Stupid hormones.

Haymitch, Cinna, Portia, and a few other tributes that I recognize wander over to us. Chaff from 11 with the other girl… Seeder? Yes, that's her name. I stifle my laughter so that it's just a crazy grin when we reach them. Seeder hugs me and Chaff kisses me right on the mouth. I jerk away. With my smile whipped off my face. I wipe my mouth on my glove while he and Haymitch laugh. I want to kill him right now.

We are directed to the elevator.

But someone comes up behind me. Johanna Mason from 7 tosses her costume behind her. Not caring where it goes. She now has nothing on. I shut my eyes. I still don't like nudity.

"I Love your costume!" she says. I hate this kind of thing. I have never been good around girls, especially when they want to talk to me.

"Um… thanks." I say. Wow… real smart. I realize I'm still holding Peeta's hand and I squeeze it. "Cinna's helping me make my own clothes." I say. Johanna's face lights up and she starts rambling about clothes. I have no idea what she's saying.

We get on the same elevator and she starts talking with Peeta. I just zone out and look at the elevator walls. Johanna finally gets off and this time it's Peeta who laughs.

"What?" I say. Peeta doesn't answer and just keeps laughing all the way to our floor. Effie and Haymitch meet us up later once Peeta has calmed down. I still pester him about what's so funny. I'm waving my arms around like a maniac trying to get him to tell me.

When Effie and Haymitch get here they lead us to the dining compartment.

"Oh look! There are two Avoxes this year!" she exclaims. I turn to see what she's talking about and I see him.

It's Darius. He's been made into an Avox.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello! Hello! I'm back! It didn't take too long to make this chapter. Hope you enjoy!**

**I DO NOT OWN THE HUNGER GAMES!**

I gasp. Effie and Peeta look at me concerned but it's Haymitch who comes to my rescue. I have no idea how he would know Darius, but I guess he does.

"I think… Katniss has had quite a night. I think she should go to bed." he shoots me a look that clearly says: go to bed kid, I'll handle this. Pretend you don't know him and we'll try to help him. If you don't he'll most likely get hurt.

"Um… ya, I'll just go to bed." I say very rushed. I dart out of the room before anyone else can say anything. I don't think even Peeta can make me feel better in this. I run to my room and slam the door. I sink onto my bed and start crying.

Why are so many people getting hurt because of me? Because I'm the girl on fire, the rebel, the one out of line and everybody hates. If I didn't have a child I would do something rash, maybe jump out of a window? But that would hurt Peeta more than it would me, and now I have to take care of two lives instead of one.

I somehow fall asleep. But nightmares cascade down on me and I wake screaming. I go to Peeta's room and pound on his door till he opens up. His hair is a mess and his eyes are half closed. As soon as the door's open I throw myself into his arms and let out the sobs I hadn't realized I was holding in.

Peeta staggers a bit with my weight but regains his balance and holds me tight. He leads me into his room and closes the door for privacy. Even though I'm sure there are as many cameras in here as out in the hall.

I realize I've never been in Peeta's room. It isn't very different than mine though. Same everything.

"What is it? Why are you so upset?" Peeta asks when I've calmed down.

"It's Darius!" I wail. Peeta pulls away and looks at me right in the face like I'm crazy. "He was a peacekeeper in District 12. He would show up at the Hob now and then…" I trail off, knowing that Peeta would have to knowledge of the Hob being the backer's son.

Peeta doesn't question me. Just hugs me till I'm tired again and then leads me back to my room.

He lies down beside me and I instantly feel ten times as tired, I'm hungry too. I guess Mother was right about the whole thing where I have to eat more. I feel worn out.

I fall asleep fast and wake to Effie banging on my door. Peeta's already sitting in a chair by the door.

"Why didn't you wake me up earlier?" I ask irritated.

"You looked so peaceful." Is all he says while he hands me some clothes. I change quickly into the gear that I hadn't noticed last night. It's comfortable and I guess Cinna thought ahead about my pregnancy it's some kind of stretchy stuff that doesn't make me look too fat. I'm not showing very much but it covers up what's there.

We walk down to the dining hall where thankfully Darius isn't on duty. Haymitch and Effie are talking in hushed voices when we enter but Effie looks up and smiles big.

"We have a plan!" she says it like it's a new discovery that will change the world.

"Ok… what is it?" I ask. Effie's face falls but she still looks happy. Why?

"We want you two to make _lots_ of friends!" she says. Ok, that's strange even for Effie. Why would we make friends even if we have to kill them? Haymitch nudges her and she snaps out of it. "I mean, we want you two to make allies."

"Why?" I say. I feel very grumpy because they haven't served us food yet and I feel like running to the kitchen right now and demanding them make me some food.

"Because!" Haymitch slurs. He's obviously either hung over or drunk. Either one is possible. "You two need some people who can watch your back. Let's see." He starts to count off on his fingers. "Chaff, Brutus, maybe Finnick…" he names all these people who I never paid attention to and have no idea who they are but Peeta's nodding so I think we can take a go. But I want food first.

"Fine!" I say. "But I want food." It's true and it makes Peeta and Haymitch snicker, Effie looks horrified at my outburst. "I will not move until I have food." Lucky for me the food people come in a few minutes later layered with platters of food.

They put eggs, sausage, waffles, and hot chocolate in front of me and I dig in so fast they barely have time to move their hand out of the way. Peeta claps and Haymitch guffaws.

"Katniss…" Effie clucks. "This is what you get for missing diner last night." This makes Peeta laugh like a loon.

Later we are escorted down to the training room where the other tributes have already gathered. Only half of them look good enough to pick up a knife though. I don't see much competition with them. A few men who I don't care to remember their names are big are burly and almost all of the women are under 50 but a lot look so frail that if I touch them they might crumble to death.

We get the same thing as last year with all the talking to us about what to do and to not fight each other. I don't even listen.

First I head over to the knot tying station to see the worker there. I remember him from last year and he's just as kind to me as ever. I have him teach me a bunch of knots that I might need to know then go to knife throwing. My aim is pretty good, not as good with bow and arrow but good enough so that I can hit the target almost every time. Peeta is in the station across the arena.

After I go to the edible bug station and try a few bugs they don't taste very good and I don't want any more than the five I try. I get fed up and just go the archery station. The worker sees that I have no problem with the dummies and starts throwing paper up into the air for me to shoot. I hit five at once and the extra I take down easily.

I forget everything in the arena. It's just me and the bow and arrows, I shoot a few more before I feel something inside me. It feels like a kick, I take a sharp breath and then I feel a roll and I loose my balance and sit down hard on the floor. Then I notice everyone is looking at me. Peeta runs over from his station and leans down my me.

"What's wrong?" he asks. His back is to everyone else so they can't see me whisper back:

"I felt it move around inside me." I'm almost giddy. "It hurt though." Peeta looks thoughtful.

"Do you want to go back to the room?" he asks. I shake my head.

"I think I'm good for now, maybe after lunch." I say. Peeta nods and helps me to my feet. He hugs me and walks away and resumes his station. Then I see that everyone is still staring at me. "What are you looking at?" I demand. They all turn back to their stations quickly and pretend that nothing happened.

I finish at the archery station with a promise to come back. We are called for lunch and go into the dining hall. The gamemakers are watching from up above. I think about sitting alone with Peeta but the more friendly tributes like Brutus are pulling all the tables together to make one big table for everyone.

I grab my tray and a sandwich. I'm not very hungry from this morning so I only peck at it.

Everyone is nice enough, when we all sit together not all the attention is put into Peeta and I, but more about what everyone else has been doing for the past years. It's really a relief, but soon everyone is asking about my archery.

"How do you do it? I saw you take down five of those paper thingies with one arrow!" says Seeder. I blush.

"I don't know, I'm just good at it." I say. "I don't really try either." Everyone laughs and continues on with other conversations. Peeta talks with a lot of people on different matters and I start talking to the pair from 3.

"Do you see that?" Beetee asks. After a while I learned that their names were Beetee and Wiress. They're nice enough, Wiress seems really smart but doesn't always finish her sentances, and she just… trails off. Beetee is good at finishing them though, she could stop half way and he would pick it up for her.

"No, what?" I ask. He points up to where the gamemakers are sitting. There's a small patch of shimmering light just next to the table.

"There are force fields all around…" Wiress says.

"All around them. That's very strange; I wonder why it's there."

"I'm afraid that's my fault. Last year I shot at the gamemakers during my privet training session…" I don't get to finish my sentence because Seerer –who is sitting next to Beetee lets out a squeal that makes everyone look at her. Then me.

"You did _what?"_ she screams. She puts a hand to her mouth in horror. "I would never have don't that! why didn't I think of it?" she scorns herself.

"Did what?" Chaff says from across the table. Before I can tell him it's none of his business and Seeder shouldn't have been listening in anyway, Seeder fills him in.

Everyone stares at me. It's making me feel uncomfortable really. Only Peeta knew before this and I suppose it must have been quite a shock for them.

"What? It's not like I did anything _bad_ I mean, anything goes." I shrug, trying to make them stop staring at me.

"Bad? Bad!" Finnick says in utter disbelief. "You shot at them and got an 11?" now he has to bring my score into this? Great, just what I needed.

"Well, ya? I was mad at them so I shot them without thinking about it. Shot the apple right out of the stuffed hog's mouth." I say with a little satisfaction at their stunned faces. The gamemakers are looking at us now to as if the sense I'm talking about them.

Soon everyone is volunteering what they did. Most of it's basic and I don't really listen. Soon they call us back to the gym and I go right back to the archery station. This time people don't even pretend that their not watching, they stare at me really. I shoot everything he throws at me and some clap politely after I'm done. I turn tomato red and Peeta tries to get me to teach him how to do it. I try, but he's really better at doing weights. Finally he gives up and just leaves for the wrestling station with Johanna.

I don't do many other things in the day, I go to learn how to do a hammock and that's about it. Peeta keeps to his word and we leave a few hours after lunch. I'm dreading what I'll have to tell Haymitch about who I want. I want the pair from three. He'll love that.

We go up to the roof top for some air and I just sit with my head in Peeta's lap for a while. He runs his fingers through my hair and puts some flowers in it. I fall asleep and he wakes me a few hours later for diner.

"I think we should come up here tomorrow." He says.

"I agree, I feel like it's the best place to relax in all of this." I say.

"If there's any place to relax." Peeta sighs.

We head down to diner in silence.

**(A.N) hi! Ok, so I know I changed the title and the rating and a bunch of other stuff because it was confusing otherwise. I'm happy people keep reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

During diner Haymitch protests us about who we want for our allies. I still want Beetee and Wiress while Peeta wants Chaff and Brutus. I think Finnick would be fine so I can mention him first but if Peeta mentions Johanna I will put my foot down and scream.

Sure enough, that's who he requests first.

"I want Johanna, Chaff, and Brutus." Peeta says to break the silence. I guess he knows Haymitch won't be happy with whoever I say. Haymitch grunts his approval. I'm glad he's not too drunk right now; I'm not sure what he would do if he was. But even so, it's Haymitch, he's not predictable anyway.

"I want Three and Finnick." When Peeta shoots me a wry look I say. "You Get Johanna! I should at least get Finnick. Plus he could he could get us sponsors." He shakes his head like he's exasperated. I don't know why; he was watching Johanna every time she got into the wrestling station and taking her clothes off!

"Don't Fight!" Haymitch announces drunk, so he isss drunk. Great. "Don't Fight! You can have Johanna and you can have Finnick…" he slurs off his words and takes a big swig of his wine. Effie cringes and looks away.

The rest of the meal Effie makes polite conversation with Peeta while I eat as much as I can. Finally before we leave Haymitch makes a surprise announcement.

"Everyone wants you!" now totally drunk I have no idea what he's saying.

"Excuse me?" I say. I have no idea if that's a sexual reference or not. But if it is I will kill him.

"They want you for aliiiiiees." He just about sings the last word. "I don't think yourrrr all that great." He grunts. "What should I tell them huh?" he poses this as a question but I take it to mean he wants me to get better allies. "Everyone wants you!" he says in a raised voice. I almost cover my ears.

"Umm. I'll think about it… and talk to you about it when you're not so drunk." I say. Peeta laughs and Effie looks annoyed but slightly amused.

I bid goodnight to Effie and Peeta and I walk back to my room. Peeta wraps his arm around me as I stumble into my room. I don't care if Peeta sees me naked anymore so I just strip off my clothes and pull on a big t-shirt. I still feel squeamish when Peeta does the same though.

I crawl into bed and snuggle up next to him. He wraps his arm around me and kisses me twice.

"One for the baby." He says in a hushed tone. "And one for you." I think I'm about to cry! Stupid hormones.

"Good night Peeta." I say. I drift in and out of sleep all night. Sometimes from nightmares and sometimes because I feel something rolling around inside me. I know it's the baby but it still feels strange to call him/her that.

During the next two days it's mostly all training on training. I feel like my whole life is slipping right out of my hands in the matter of days. It feels wrong that my child will never be able to see the light. Never. It makes me cry every time i think about it.

I somehow become friends with these people. It makes it all the harder to think that in a few weeks all of them will be dead but Peeta. There would be 23 dead, but now I guess there will be 24 after all. Two in one shot.

The last day of training is our privet lessons.

Since Peeta and I are in the last District we are called last. Really it's me who's called last. We only have 15 minutes to show them what we've got so it wont take long. It doesn't. it only seems like a few minutes before it's just me and Peeta sitting alone in the gym.

"What are you going to do?" he asks in my ear. I'm practically sitting on his lap and he's got his arm wrapped around me and stroking my stomach. I'm ready to fall asleep and I haven't a clue what to do.

"I don't know…" I trail off. "Maybe shoot them again?" I shrug. Peeta gives me a startled look.

"Katniss, don't try that again." He says sternly. "I don't think they'll tolerate it this time." I think he's write. But it was pretty good, right?

"Oh ya? What are you going to do?" I twist around in his arms so I can look at him. He looks down at me with loving eyes. I don't think I could go on without those baby blue eyes.

"I guess I could paint something." He says. "I think you should make a knot of something." He shrugs.

"How's a knot going to get me a 12!" I raise my voice. Peeta laughs.

"There's a lot you could do with a knot. Hang someone. Hey! Maybe you could get a volunteer from the crowd!" I laugh. That would be fun but I don't think I could do it; or I wouldn't get any volunteers.

"The hanging part gives me an idea; but I doubt they would let me hang them." I say. Just then they call Peeta in to his session. He kisses my forehead and leaves with a pat on my knees. Great, now what?

I'll just make a noose or something. I don't have anything better and the number doesn't really matter.

Half an hour goes by. Then forty. I'm getting a little worried when they finally call me. I take a deep breath and walk into the room. There's a mat dragged onto the floor and it stinks of cleaner. Last year the gamemakers where almost drunk and board but now they're all sitting on the tip of their chairs talking quietly. They all stop as soon as I go in.

I go to the knot tying station and make a quick noose. I hang it on a beam; I can feel the watchful eyes of the gamemakers as I do it. I go over to the dummies on the archery station and put one in the noose. I find only a small amount of paint left in the paint station. I get an idea. I pull a blood red paint out and go back to my dummy.

I paint two words on the dummy. _Seneca Crane._

I hear wine glasses drop and a loud thud that must mean someone fainted. I few people gasp. I toss the paint over my shoulder and march to the door. I press the button and just before the door opens I turn and say over my shoulder : "Don't think I don't know about that." I'm dead.

WHAT THE HELL DID I JUST DO THAT FOR?

Realization hits me as the elevator drops me at the 12 floor. I run to my room and slam down on the bead crying. I'm sure I just doomed Peeta and my child…

Later Effie calls me to dinner. I get dressed and wipe away my tears. I enter the dining room to see Haymitch staring at his wine glass with red puffy eyes and Effie scolding him not to drink. Peeta looks depressed but looks up and smiles when I come in. even though I can tell his hearts not in it.

As soon as I sit down Haymitch asks the question: "What did you two do?"

Peeta goes first. "Well, I um… painted… um, I painted Rue." I'm shocked that he took my idea and a little pleased. "What did you do Katniss?" he asks eager to avoid the attention. "You couldn't have done anything worse than shoot them."

I look down at my clasped hands in my lap. Peeta seems to know that I've done something. "Well…" I start but Haymitch interrupts me.

"I had an awful day. Effie's making me not drink!" he exclaims. "It couldn't be worse than that-"

I cut him off with my scream. "I HUNG SENECA CRANE! HAPPY?" I totally explode as Effie bursts into tears and Haymitch opens and closes his mouth like a fish and Peeta looks like he's about to faint –which is almost funny because he's so big and strong-

I'm crying almost as much as Effie but Peeta comes around and puts a hand on my back. I sneak my head into the crock of his shoulder. I'm making his hair wet with all my crying. I guess he must be thinking of the baby and how I've doomed him/her; but I'm thinking of him.

"Haymitch, I'm going to take her back to our room." Peeta says. I'm so hysterical that I don't even protest when Peeta picks me up. He carries me to my room and lays me down on the bed. By then my tears have died down.

He gets me out of my clothes (I don't care) and puts me into my PJs. He changes too and puts me into bed; he crawls next to me and holds me tight. I love the way he does this; the way he makes me feel safe. I let my head fall between his neck and head. He kisses the top of my head lovingly and rubs my stomach.

"Why are you so sad?" he asks. I think it's a bit odious. I just doomed him.

"Do I have to say?" I ask through tears. He brushes his thumb over my cheek. I look into his perfectly blue eyes that I love so much. He kisses me and I feel better instantly. I curl up into his arms. I don't think it gets any better than this.

**(A.N) sorry this took so long. I stupidly started 3 stories at once! It might take longer for these chapters to come. Again, Sorry!**


	5. Chapter 5

**(A.N) hey guys, sorry it took so long to update. Been really busy at school with all this turning 100 stuff. Anywho, hope you enjoy and please review! **

I'm woken when Effie is banging on my door. I don't want to get up; I don't want to move from my special place in Peeta's arms. He comforts me so much and I would spend the rest of my life here if I could.

I realize we went to bed before we saw the scores. I probably got a 1 or 2. Peeta maybe a 5 or 6. I don't care. It will make us look venerable; they won't go so hard on us then.

Peeta wakes up beside me and I roll over and look into his beautiful face. "Good morning." He says, he gives me a small peck on the lips then sits up and stretches his arms above his head. I roll onto my back and watch him. I'm totally cold now. I think the only warmness in this room is Peeta. I shiver and Peeta pulls me up into his lap. He wraps his arms around me and I snuggle into his arms. "are you ready for training today?" he asks. Or course, tomorrow is the live interviews so today will be high heels and Effie's little voice peeping in my ear about posture.

Effie knocks on my door again and walks in without being asked. She stops when she's sees me curled up in Peeta's arms. I'm sure I blush but Peeta has a calm voice when he talks: "Is something wrong Effie?"

"Um…" for the first time it seems like Effie has forgotten what she wanted to say. "I thought you two would want to know that you both got 12's." even though I should be happy I don't feel like celebrating. It will make us look like a target if we get high scores. "So, given that you did so well… Haymitch and I have decided that you should have the day off." Peeta and I stare at her in disbelief for a moment. Effie seems not to notice, she just nods and walks out.

The door clicks closed and Peeta swoops me up. He stands and carries me around the room. He's smiling and I'm laughing. I wrap my legs around him waist and kiss the top of his head. Peeta sits down on the bed.

"Where should we go?" he asks.

"Anywhere!" I say. I'm just happy to be with him for the day. "Do anything!" I wrap my arms around his neck.

"What about a picnic?" Peeta suggests. "On the roof. We could grab some food from the kitchen and get a blanket." That's exactly what we do.

I get dressed while Peeta runs over to the kitchen then I wait while he gets dressed and look through the basket. I wonder what Peeta told them to get us such good food. Cheese buns, soda, two cupcakes, he must have looted it all. I grin at the thought. I grab a blanket out of the hall closet and throw it at Peeta's chest. He catches it easily and stuffs it into the basket.

We have a daylong picnic up in the flower garden. The trees above us chime every time there's a breeze; even if I don't know how it got there. There's a force field preventing it right? Anyway, we eat and Peeta lets me feed him like a baby; I purposely smear food all over his face which makes up both laugh.

"I hope you won't do that to the baby." Peeta teases. I laugh as I think of a baby Peeta covered in cake icing. "Now you know what I have to do to you right?" Peeta asks mischievously; he's holding something behind his back.

"What?" I ask. Peeta grins mischievously and pulls a pie from behind his back. _Oh no._ I think. He pulls a spoon out from the basket.

"Open wide." He dips the spoon in the pie and I open my mouth. The smears it all over me at the last moment. I should be mad at him but he's laughing too hard for me to be mad. So instead I take the pie from his hands and push his head in it.

I burst out laughing and when Peeta moves his head up his smile is huge. We bust out laughing as I try to clean off his face. When I'm done I kiss his cheek and it tastes like the lemon in the pie. I giggle.

"Peeta, you wasted a perfectly good pie on your face." I scold which makes Peeta laugh harder.

"I'm not sure you want it now." He says. I frown to hide my smile.

The rest of the morning isn't as eventful as the pie incident. But now every time I kiss Peeta's cheek it leaves it leaves the taste of lemon. I pick flowers and weave a crown for Peeta like I used to do with Prim. It makes me sad to think of her for a moment, but it soon passes when I see Peeta with a head of flowers. I put a flower in my hair and Peeta draws me. I like how he makes me look way more beautiful than I am.

By late afternoon I'm lying with my head in Peeta's lap while he fiddles with my hair. I look through his drawing pad full of drawings of the woods and a few of spots in the games I remember being in. I love the way he draws me; he's got at least 30 sketches of me in here. all making me look to beautiful. Peeta suddenly stops playing with my hair and I look up.

"What?" I ask.

"Katniss, when are we going to announce the your pregnant?" he asks. Boom, I hadn't thought of that. "I mean if we tell then we could get sponsors, and it would be easier for me. I don't like keeping secrets." I think about this.

"What about tomorrow night at the interviews? It would mean that everyone would know at once." I point out. "I don't think it would be good if we tell a few people then make rumors."

"Then which one of us will tell?" he asks.

"You. I'm no good with words." I say. Peeta smiles, I love his smile. "I don't want to move from right now." I say. I know it's corny but it's true. I'm not going to be living very long, so I won't get to spend my life with him. But I want to remember this moment. If only this one.

"Neither do I." Peeta says. He kisses me gently then goes back to my hair. I close my eyes and don't even realize I've gone to sleep until I feel Peeta shaking me awake. I open my eyes and his big blue eyes are inches from mine. It makes me laugh how close they are. His eyes twinkle at my laughter. I push him away lightly by the forehead.

"I thought you would want to see this." Peeta pulls me into his lap and I look where he's pointing. The sun set. It's beautiful even in the Capitol. It may be one of my last so I'm glad Peeta woke me up for it. I dove off still in Peeta's arms so he carries me to bed.

Tomorrow we'll announce our baby, tomorrow we have the interviews, tomorrow is one of the last days before I go back into the Hunger Games.

**(A.N) oh hi! Ok, so a few changes, Katniss does know that Peeta will announce it. I really liked doing the pie this… so ya. Please review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**(A.N) hello! Ok, so a new chapter is up on my other story Playing Pranks, so it was taking a while to get back to this story, but still… enjoy. Ps. HAS ANY ONE ELSE SEEN THE HUNGER GAMES YET! IT'S SOOOO AMAZING! Also, I have the latest spring break ever; over Easter, so I'm still in school until then. But that week will be all writing for me. Happy Hunger Games! **

I wake up in Peeta's arms. He's so warm and comfy I don't want to move. I would stay this way forever. But just then my prep team comes bursting in. I let my eyes droop while Flavius and Octavia both burst into tears. Peeta shifts next to me and sits up. He rubs his eyes and stretches his arms above his head like cat.

"Morning," he says casually. Flavius and Octavia try to contain their tears but still let out sad little sobs every minute. Peeta is asked to leave. But he wont until he's kissed me and hugged me tight.

Viena makes Flavius and Octavia leave so she has to do everything herself. I like the finished project. a little black make-up and my hair is just up in a braid around my head. My nails are plain while too which seems a little strange.

Finally Cinna comes in and send Viena out who has been silently crying for a while now. I found myself consulting her again, patting her hand and so on. I'm glad when Cinna comes to relive her.

"So what am I wearing tonight? Naked flame?" I ask, trying to defuse the tension. Cinna smiles sadly.

"Not tonight girl on fire." He says. "Tonight it's this." He opens up the dress bag and my mouth falls open in awe. Is he sure I even _can_ wear that? "I thought people would like to see you as the bird you really are." Cinna says quietly.

The dress is a Mockingjay costume. The dress is long and made of black feathers with long black gloves and black ballet flats for my feet. I can't manage anything while Cinna has me slip into the dress, the shoes are comfortable enough and I think I can bear to wear them for three hours or more. Cinna does some touch ups on my make-up and then leads me to the elevator.

There I meet Peeta and Effie. Effie gasps when she sees me. Peeta smirks and kisses my hand. I blush and laugh a little; he has on a plain black suite and has the same black make up on. I smile as we enter the elevator. Effie, Cinna, and Portia wish us luck; then we're off.

Everyone is already off stage when we get down. But everything falls silent when we enter. Every girl is staring at Peeta and all the boys are looking at me, mouths agape. Peeta shoots them poisonous looks which makes me laugh considering that almost everyone is looking at him too.

I smile at everyone as Peeta and I line up. Soon everyone does the same. All whispering now, I can guess what they're thinking. It's not hard to.

When we are all lined up on stage and Caesar has done all his announcements as usual I think every eye is on Peeta and I. I try to pay attention to what they're saying in the interviews but I really can't with all the attention I'm getting.

Soon it's my turn. I stand and walk toward Caesar. He smiles at me like I'm an old friend. I think everyone has said something or other about how it's truly awful how they're making Peeta and I go back into the games. Most everyone was either complaining or telling President Snow off.

"Hello Katniss!" he says kindly. "it seems no one wants you in the games this year." He comments.

"Yes, well, it's awful hard to have to go back into the games with Peeta again.' I force a tear to my eye and make a show of wiping it off. Some people sigh in disappointment. "I just wish he hadn't volunteered for Haymitch, then if I won I could go back home." I make another tear come and frown as I wipe it away. This time Caesar is one who has to turn his head and shed a few tears. I must be good at this acting thing.

"Well, isn't that unfortunate." He says once he's collected himself. "But let's stay on the positive side in this interview!" he beams. _There is no positive side in this place fool. _i think. "Your dress! It's amazing!" he exclaims. I force a smile as I reply.

"Yes I quite like it myself. I love the feathers." I say as I absently pat down the feathers on my middle. Then I remember that I can't indicate anything yet. Peeta's going to talk about that.

"Yes, they are quite magnificent." Caesar says. "I wish I looked that good in feathers!' this makes the crowd laugh a little. They still seem sad about my earlier comment. "Well Katniss, I hate to say this, but we captured this video a few days ago up on the roof top garden." I look behind me as the huge screen flashes with a video of Peeta and I playing with the pie and me getting Peeta's face covered in it. "Any comment?"

"Only that I really should be more careful where you people put up you're cameras." I say the crowd laughs as I stare wistfully at the screen. "And, I must say, Peeta does look handsome covered in pie." Now everyone is laughing. I look at Peeta to see he's laughing too. My buzzer goes off and I walk back to my seat as Peeta walks up and sits down.

"So Peeta!" Caesar comments as soon as Peeta sits down. "You got you're girl! The very one we talked about last time." There is a big smile on his face when Peeta replies:

"Yes, I'm very glad that we'll be having a new addition to our family." Peeta says. Is this how he planned to tell? I absent mindedly start rubbing my stomach and shift my weight.

"Yes, but the wedding was canceled if I'm not mistaken." Caesar says, obviously very confused.

Peeta pretends to do a double take when he replies. "no, I wasn't referring to that. Katniss is pregnant." There is a stunned silence in which every camera is trained on me. I look up, smiling shyly. Caesar has him mouth open like a dog. Then he snaps back to earth along with a chaotic audience. They erupt in shouts and whistles, a good many of them burst into tears and a few collapse. Caesar calls me up to be with Peeta. He stands and helps me up the short steps, there's only one chair so Peeta makes me sit on his lap which makes me laugh.

"Katniss!" Caesar exclaims when he's managed to close his mouth a few moments. "You're pregnant?" I look back at Peeta's face which in only a few inches lower than mine. I nod my head slowly. "And you're still going into the games?" he sounds incredulous.

"Do I really have a choice Caesar? I'm the only ever female tribute to have won in District 12. I had to go," I say, Caesar makes a pout face and more of the audience starts crying.

"That is true… but so young! You're really pregnant? You don't look it" Caesar says.

"I didn't really want anyone to know just yet," here I pointedly look at Peeta who smiles with puppy dog eyes. "so I had my dresses fitted so it doesn't show." I shrug. Caesar seems to agree with this. Peeta's buzzer goes off and we walk back to our seats hand in hand.

All the other tributes are staring at us like we just grew second heads. This makes me irritated so I snap. "oh close your mouths, you keep them open much longer and you'll swallow a bug." The all close their mouths and turn away to look at the crowd. Is Finnick grinning?

The interviews end and Peeta and I walk off the stage hand in hand as soon as we're off though I am swarmed by every single girl tribute screaming and giggling. Which is odd because some of them are about 70. Peeta is taken away by the boys, before he gets swallowed up though he flashes me a wicked smile. I laugh; everyone is acting like five year olds. Everyone is asking me questions about my baby, how many months pregnant am i? What am I going to name it if it's a girl? What am I going to name it if it's a boy? All these things I haven't thought about.

I can answer at least that I'm two months pregnant. That I know, but really? What am I going to name it? This question spins around in my head until they finally let me go back to my room; Peeta's already there washing up. I change my clothes and sit on the bed waiting for Peeta to get finished.

When he does he walks out of the bath room with nothing but a towel around his waist! He grins and I roll my eyes and I saunter into the bath room. I wipe all the make-up off and stand in front of the full length mirror, I look at my bump and put my hands and top and bottom. I think I wont have to worry about it getting in my way when I'm in the games; but if I feel it roll around like I did when I was training I'm going to have some problems.

Peeta comes in, thankfully, this time wearing clothes, all be it just some shorts. He wraps his arms around me and kisses my cheek.

"I love you." I whisper. He kisses my cheek again and rubs my bump.

"I love you too." He says. He turns me around and kisses me, then kneels and kisses my bump. It tickles and I giggle. He smiles and pulls me to bed. I don't think I'll have any night mares tonight. The whole world knows my secret, I think I'll sleep easier this way.

**(A.N) hi! I thought the way Peeta told everyone about the baby could have been a bit better, I liked it better this way and I actually thought it up a long time ago. I hope the next chapter will be a bit more active. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**(A.N) yayayayayayaya! I have my computer back! I was typing on vacation with a desk top and didn't have my books with me so I couldn't continue. But now I have my sweep baby back! Happy Hunger Games! Enjoy! Warning: sort of a filler chapter**

I wake still in Peeta's arms. Cinna and Portia come in and order him out. He leaves with apologizes, I feel bad for making him go. But he goes, with a last kiss he leaves, I know that this might just be the last time I get to see him considering how I have to keep him alive. It brings tears to my eyes and before I know it I'm full out crying. Stupid hormones.

Cinna sighs and Portia calls Peeta's prep team into my room. I crawl into his arms and he holds me so that the team can put make up on my face. I hug him so tight that Cinna almost has to pry me off him to dress me. This year's clothes is simple, a blue jumpsuit that seems to be water proof, I keep wondering why they're having me wear a shirt and extra pants under it; they make it very uncomfortable. A belt and rubber sole shoes go next.

I turn to Cinna.

"What do you think?" I twirl around. Peeta touches my bump lightly, it isn't big but this stuff hugs me tight and it shows through like a star.

"I think…" Cinna says slowly. "That it won't be much help in any situation."

"It could be a desert." Peeta suggests. "Or water… lots and lots of water." He frowns. "I can't swim." I feel bad that I can but there's no way he would believe me. I'm sure not another soul in District 12 knows about the lake.

"Then I think District 4 will have a better chance." Portia comments as she combs Peeta's hair. Cinna braids my hair but pretty much leaves it alone.

A Peacekeeper comes to tell us that it's time to go to our landing stages. I hug Peeta one more time and he kisses my head. We go our separate ways to the air craft. The same thing as last year, we get our trackers injected and then we're off.

Peeta sits next to me and talks quietly. Everyone else seems to be having a fine time chatting up the person next to them. I stare straight ahead and say nothing; I feel an ever impressing feeling of doom.

We land in the station and get put in our separate "cells"/launch rooms. I take deep breaths and sip water. I eat only a little; I think of how I could go hungry in the games so I force more food down. Cinna hugs me goodbye when the announcement comes to tell me to get in the tube that will lead me to my death… and the death of my child.

I try to think positively while I'm being rocketed up. When I get out into the sun I have to blink. Am I upside down? Because the floor is blue and bright. I look around to the cornucopia and realize I'm not upside down at all. I'm surrounded by water. Lots and lots and lots of water. Just like Peeta said.

**(A.N) short and a filler. But I promise that the next chapter will have action in it! It may or may not be up tomorrow because I still have another week of spring break. That's right, I have last week and this week. So lots of updates!** **Also, I couldn't bring myself to kill Cinna. It made me cry really hard when he died. I was as devastated as Katniss was… so he may or may not show up later. I don't know. Bye now!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**(A.N) hi hi hi! So I think this chapter will be up at the same time as the last. My internet wasn't working so I had to e-mail it to myself and post it at my friend's house. She has more Wifi than I did and her house is a black hole in Wifi space. No kidding. Does anyone else have the sound track yet? The songs are sooooo awesome. Happy Hunger Games!**

My first thought is that Peeta can't swim. I look franticly around for him and see he's as white as a sheet and looking around feverishly. I make a small whimpering sound. I can swim just fine but I don't know if I can with a baby. Will it even matter? Will it weigh my down? I don't know the answer to either so I have to just hope that it won't matter.

I look past the cornucopia to see a beach behind it. Then back at the cornucopia. Great.

The alarm sounds and I dive into the water. I surface and gasp for breath. This isn't much like the lake, it's salt water and cold, very cold. I shake my head and swim as fast as I can, which isn't much. The two district 4 tributes are already there and loaded up, I see three heads go under and don't come up, three dead, two more go under before I reach the cornucopia. Weapons. That's all I see. There's at least three bows and six sheathes. I grab a bow and two sheathes before I see Finnick standing above me, he has a perfect shot. But he just grins and ticks his hand. I see a gold bracelet and groan, was this Effie's idea.

I grab six knives and slip them into my belt. Two more tributes come up on the beach panting and spewing water. I shoot them easily, they go down with less than a fight. My gut churns at what I have to do in these games.

I look franticly around for Peeta but I don't see him, could he have drowned because he can't swim? Could he already be dead? No, he's there! I see him still on his plate looking around for something, I run to the water as Finnick starts to fight with another female tribute. I drop my weapons as Finnick sticks his trident into her chest. I'm about to dive when he runs up and puts a hand on my shoulder. I look at him with an evil eye.

"Don't, you'll exert yourself." I don't have time to complain before he jumps in. I whine and stamp my feet in frustration. If the whole game is Peeta or Finnick telling my not to do something them I'm just going to scream.

Finnick pulls Peeta up onto the beach; I run to him and rap my arms around him. "You were right." I say. "Lots and lots of water." He smiles wryly and gets to his feet. I keep an eye on him while he runs to the cornucopia. I watch the other tributes with my arrows and keep an eye on Finnick.

Peeta comes back with nine or ten knives. He holds them up, I look right past them. there's something in the water? Someone? Is that Mags? Yep, sure enough she swims right up to the beach and bobs up next to Finnick, he doesn't say anything just swings her over his shoulder. I'm a little confused…

"Best get off the beach." Peeta points out. I nod; we make our way up the beach and into the woods. Finnick and Mags in front Peeta next and me last. I walk backwards holding my bow, this might be the reason I crashed into a tree.

"Oof." I grunt, Peeta's head pops out of the woods and laughs. I make a face and stand back up.

As soon as I walk in I realize I don't know what to do here. It's not the kind of woods I'm used to, it's a jungle. All the trees have slick trunks and little to no branches. If I was on my own I wouldn't be able to climb a tree, and I can't see five feet ahead of me.

Peeta switches spots with Finnick and cuts the foliage in front. I go next and Finnick brings up the rear. Soon I become tired and ask for a rest, I don't really want to because the other tributes could be coming up behind us but I can't go as fast as I used to.

Finnick agrees and sets Mags down leaning against the tree. Peeta goes ahead cutting us a path while I try to climb a tree, it's hard because of the silk bark, but I use two of my knives to make foot holes and scale it quickly. I wish I hadn't, like, really bad.

The cornucopia area is scattered with dead bodies. I can't tell who they are but the ground is all red and bloody. I hop out of the tree before I can vomit. As it is I barely make it to the clearing's edge before I lose my lunch. I feel a calm hand on my back and look up, Peeta's anxious face hovers above mine. Behind him Finnick stands in the center of the clearing looking lost.

"Did I cause that?" Finnick asks, I roll my eyes.

"Don't… go… up there, that's… so…" I can't form the words and just sit against the tree and rock back and forth.

"Umm…" Finnick still looks uncertain and a little childish. Mags starts babbling off something about tea. "We don't have tea here Mags!" Finnick sounds exasperated.

Peeta sits next to me, "Do you think you can move now, that you're all spent?" he asks. I nod my head, now that I've lost my lunch I'm even more hungry and determined to find food. I get to my feet, I hobble for a few inches but after that I'm ok.

We walk for I don't know how long; Peeta in front, me, then Finnick and Mags. Peeta cuts a path in front of us as we move along. As we go I get thirstier and thirstier, my hunger is growing as well. So when I see it at first I think it's a mirage, but as we near it I can tell it's solid. A little floating patch of rippling air.

I watch it in fascination up until we're almost directly under it. Then I realize what it means. Peeta is right under it, "No!" I scream, he looks around in confusion and stumbles back. I launch myself infront of him, pushing him to the ground.

I feel a searing pain go up my spine; I'm thrown into the air. My back hits a tree and my head crashes into it's bark. Then my world goes black.

**(A.N) I know I know, I changed it. But I had to do this. For a reason you'll find out later. In the mean time! Go see the movie and listen to the sound track! I promise they're both really good! **


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9:**

**Peeta's POV! Get excited! It'll be happening a lot now!**

**Peeta POV.**

I lay under a tree, shell shocked. Did that really just happen? Did Katniss just push me out of the way? And why do I smell burning hair! The answer hits me like a flash flood. Good god no.

I leap to my feet to see Katniss sprawled on the ground under a tree a few feet away. For a moment all I can do is stare, Finnick looks shocked too, he sets Mags down.

I half stumble half fall toward Katniss's limp body. My eyes graze her body, I roll her over; she looks so pale.

"Katniss…" I whisper, I can't make my voice any louder. "Katniss?" I force my words louder. "Katniss!" I shake her hard, she still doesn't move. I'm now frantic, "Katniss! Wake up! Katniss! Katniss! Katniss!" I scream her name for all to hear.

My heart sinks to my toes when I hear a cannon go off.

Even more frantic, and now with tears streaming down my face I scream her name a thousand times, over and over. I shake her as hard as I can, Finnick comes and puts a hand on my shoulder, trying to move me out of the way but I won't budge from Katniss's limp body.

"No! Katniss! Please wake up!" my tears well in my eyes and stream down my face in rivers.

This time Finnick almost throws me out of the way. I hit my head on a tree, which must have hurt. But my body doesn't register the pain. My fingers are already fumbling on my belt for a weapon. I can't see much through my tears, I swear loudly, which isn't much like me, but I'm so mad about Katniss's death, not to mention our baby that will never be born.

I swipe my hand across my face to clear the tears; I get a knife out of my belt and I look up to throw it. Which is greeted by the sight of Finnick kissing Katniss. I'm dumb founded, my mouth opens in a silent 'o' and I can't seem to look away.

Thoughts run through my head at a high speed. _How long has he wanted to do that? why is he doing it? Wait… why is he kissing my wife! _i get to my feet, again ready to throw my knife when Katniss makes the first choking sound.

**Katniss POV**

I open my eyes dreamily. I think Peeta is kissing me awake, which he has done a few times. Until I open my eyes further and see bronze hair instead of blond. A different face, that of Finnick Odiar's.

I flop over and retch.

Finnick sits back on the heels of his feet. Obviously pleased. I can't think of why. As soon as I can talk again I'm going to yell.

"Don't…" I gasp, "Ever-" my words are squished back into my mouth as I'm engulfed in a flurry of cloth and kisses.

"KATNISS!" screams a joyful Peeta. I so shocked I can't breathe. I hug Peeta back, but with a little less gusto. "I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!" he starts rambling off how he's not going to ever let me go, apparently, ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever. Brilliant.

"Um… Peeta." I make out.

"What! Are you still hurt?" he looks into my face, which has probably turned blue.

"i… can't… breathe!" I gasp as Peeta loosens his grip on me, but he still holds me tight.

"Oh! Sorry." Peeta says a little bashfully. I snuggle my head into the crock of his neck. I then notice that streams of tears are still rolling down Peeta's face, I laugh a little as I brush them away.

"I'm never going to let you go." I playfully poke him in the chest with my finger. Then I realize that if my heart stopped, then my baby's must have too.

My face falls and so does Peeta's. I touch my bump lightly, I look into Peeta's baby blue eyes, I start to tear up and I can't stop the tears from falling. He holds me tight and croons into my ear to calm me down. I lay limp in Peeta's arms for a while.

"Do you think you can go on?" Finnick asks, I almost completely decided on not talking to him, as it turns out I don't have to.

"No, she has to rest." It's Peeta's forceful voice that keeps me routed in his arms. I don't really want to move anyway, I just came back from the dead to find Finnick kissing me, I haven't had the perfect morning, throw that in with the fact I'm back in the Hunger Games and you've got miserable me.

"I'm ok, really Peeta, don't worry about me." I say through a few stray tears. I suppose that's what does it for him.

"No, we'll camp here." he frowns, I still have some tears but Peeta's eyes are mostly dry.

"Fine." Finnick doesn't seem like he wants to argue, "Do you see any water? We'll need it if we're to stay alive." He points to me, "You almost dyed of dehydration last year." Peeta looks at me funny, I forget that they didn't show it to him. I laugh nervously.

"What? Katniss we need to find water." He looks at me with stern eyes, I smile guiltily. "I don't want you dying two times in one day." I never thought I would hear someone say that.

I groan. Oh well, we won't get anywhere. But I can't deny I'm exhausted. Mags gets to work on some kind of mat, weaving the tall grass in and out, in and out, it's almost as rhythmic as Peeta's drawing and it's making me tired. I yawn and Peeta stifles a laugh.

He sets me down on some soft moss. "Go to sleep." He says. I hold one arm out and pat the spot next to me. He rolls his eyes, but comes and sits next to me, he puts my head in his lap and begins to play with my hair.

I wake with Peeta shaking me slightly; it's time to count up the first dead. Their faces flash on the sky, I want to cover my eyes. I wish Peeta hadn't woken me up,

9 dead tonight. I think Finnick killed one and I killed two, I'm glad I didn't kill any number over that. I would have been just fine with not killing anyone.

Turns out there's another reason that Peeta woke me up, while I was out Finnick went hunting and brought back some kind of tree rat. It was a bony out line and barely any meat. When I look closely I can see that it has a wet muzzle and pointy teeth. Something about this just doesn't register in my brain.

I shake it off as just a bit of stress. I eat quick, engulfing all of my food in one bite. I think of how strange it is that I still feel as hungry as when I was pregnant. Was. I've already started to use pass tense. The thought depresses me.

As soon as Peeta sees how fast I'm eating he gives me his food.

"No Peeta! It's yours!" I complain. All the same he pushes it towards me. I realize how hungry I really am. Finally he gets me to eat half of it. I can see how hungry he is, however hard he tries to hide it.

Finally we all lay down to sleep again. I lay next to Peeta for a few minutes until the fact that I just can't get comfortable on this side. It might just be the baby still weighing me down. I absent mindedly rub my stomach. I want to cry again, but then I feel a sucking in my gut. I inhale sharply and sit up so fast I hit my head on a low branch.

Peeta groans and looks up when I hit my head. I rub my head in pain; but I'm smiling like a million stars. Peeta raises his eye brows at me.

"I felt something…" I drift off. Peeta looks skeptical.

"Katniss, I'm sure you did. But I honestly don't think our child could still be alive. You were hit with electricity."

"Screw your honesty!" I almost scream. Mags rolls over and Finnick looks up from where he was taking watch, he looks slightly amused. "I swear Peeta! I can't lie on that side anymore!" Peeta sits up and pulls me into his lap.

"Alright." He says. "you can't sleep on that side." He smoothes my hair down as I wrap my arms around him.

I don't really have anything else to say. But, needless to say, I don't sleep for another half hour. I'm too happy. I'm convinced that my baby is still alive.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10:**

**(A.N) sorry it's been so long! But I've been studying all week and I haven't had much time to myself at school. Enjoy and Happy Hunger Games!**

**I DON'T OWN THE HUNGER GAMES!**

The first parachute lands in the morning. I'm groggy and my smile has faded from thirst. I'm so thirsty I think I could drink all the water in District 12, which, granted, isn't much but at least it's water.

Finnick makes a dive for it before it can touch the sand. He unrolls it hungrily while we all sit back on our heels, peering over his shoulder. I can't see much so when his back goes rigid I wonder if they might have sent something like a bomb. But Finnick holds It up, and I breathe a sigh of relief. It's not a bomb.

He puts it on the ground and scratches his head. I peer down and my heart sinks a thousand miles. What Is This Going To Get Us? It's just a small metal tube! Mags holds it us and bites down on it which makes me cringe.

Finnick takes it out of her mouth and wipes it on his shirt, then looks through it. Peeta blows through it but it makes no sense. I know that Haymitch can send all kinds of unusual gifts but this one has stumped me. Last year Haymitch tried to tell me things with his gifts but I really can't think of a thing to do with this one.

I take it and walk slowly to the woods looking through it. I lean against a tree and look down at the ground with it. The shade provides little to no help, but at least it's shade.

"I can't think of a thing." I finally admit. I put a hand on my stomach as if it'll help. Peeta leans against the tree across from me. Sudden rage sweeps through me and I slam it into the tree bark as hard as I can.

Peeta raises his eyes and looks at where my hand is hungrily. I feel wetness seep through my fingers and groan; I must be bleeding. But when I look down, instead of blood I see water. Water… WATER!

I flip around and open my mouth under the tap. Water pours out and quenches my thirst, I let Peeta go next. Finnick jogs up the beach with Mags scrambling up after him. We all drink, then lay in the shade. We don't say anything. For now, I'm content to just have the problem of water gone. Just as I'm closing my eyes a cannon goes off and I snap up, bow in hand.

Peeta opens his eyes dreamily. Finnick and Mags don't even stir.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve.

That makes no sense. That would mean that one person had died from each district. And Peeta and I are both alive and well. Then I realize that the cannon sounded different than the death one. But what it means I don't know. It couldn't just be saying the time!

Peeta sits up and wraps his arms around me. I can't think of anything to say so I just sit in silence until it begins.

I think it's just white mist in the distance until it gets closer and I can tell it's not like it at all. It goes in one clean line that's not natural. I'm wary and shake Finnick and Mags awake. The sit up, Finnick actually jumps to his feet, trident in hand knocking me back.

I sit back up timidity. Getting slowly up, never taking my eyes off the proceeding line of fog.

When the first few drops hit my skin I don't feel anything. But then give a yelp of pain when my skin starts to blister and turn red. Peeta starts hitting his hand on his shirt and Finnick stumbles around until he runs into a tree. I scream and fall to my knees before I can make sense that we have to run away from it.

"Run!" I shout. "Run!" I yell it at them but I don't know if I could do it myself.

Mags hobbles over to Finnick and he hoists her up onto his shoulders with trident in hand. I take a few steps and trip over a vine. I get back up and brush myself off, walk a few more steps and trip again! I'm still worn out from getting shocked with the force field and when I'm usually on my feet and running and jumping over anything in my path I keep falling! Even Peeta is faster than me!

I stumble forward until my knees are cut up and my feet are sore, Peeta sees the problem and comes back to my side. My arms and legs don't seem to be working half the time to add to my problems. My left leg and right arm are spasming all over the place and the left side of my face has gone slack.

Peeta lifts me up in his arms, even though I have to hold onto them for dear life because their moving all over the place. I can Peeta is not made to carry people, he can carry flower and lift weights just fine but it reaches his limit lifting people.

Finnick comes back; I don't know if he made it to the beach or if he just dropped Mags but she's not in his arms anymore. Either way he scoops me right out of Peeta's arms. I don't want to be carried by him but he does it so effortlessly that I don't complain. Peeta seems like a weight has been taken off his shoulders and he and Finnick both run faster.

I feel so helpless in Finnick's arms.

We finally get to the beach and Finnick puts me down, his arms and legs are twisting every which way and that, Peeta's mouth is so puffy that I think it's going to fall off, my right legs so stiff that if I tried to move it, it would probably fall off.

Peeta and Finnick both collapse but I can't seem to stop walking, I stumble then fall into the water face down.

I jerk back up with a scream. Peeta's head snaps up and he looks around, at my flailing body and open mouth. When I can't scream anymore I feel only a dull numbing. It's kind of relaxing the way I feel much better. I can't feel pain.

I plunge my whole body into the water at once. The pain is blinding but in less than a moment I feel myself calming down.

I stick my head out. My body and lips in full working mode.

"GET IN THE WATER!" I yell at the top of my voice. Peeta groans and pulls his head up; he looks kinda funny like that. Finnick just rolls over, his body still flipping about wildly.

I get up and stumble through the wet sand to them. a yank Peeta on the arm toward the water. He grunts and whines and I pull his body through the sand. I dump him in with a splash and he screams and jumps up. I push him back down slowly, his voice is slowly coming back; and from what I can tell, it sounds like he's cursing out the water.

Finnick's next. I pull the bronze haired boy to the water and dump him too. He starts jumping around like a fish out of water.

"God Katniss! What was that!" Finnick yells once he's experienced the most of the pain.

"that," I say. "was me helping you." As an afterthought I say too: "and your welcome." He glares at me but keeps him mouth shut as he adjusts to the water.

I get to the edge o the water before I realize what happened. All along the edge of the trees they have gathered. Monkeys. All along the edge of the trees. Thousands of them.

I freeze. Peeta struggles toward me but I put a hand back to push him back. He looks at me with startled eyes as he slowly come around to seeing them. Finnick gets out of the water and sees them right away. We all stand still. And in that moment. They attack.

**(A.N) short I know! But it took longer than I thought to upload. Sorry! But this next one will be before the week end I promise!**


	11. Chapter 11

**(A.N) sooooo sorry it took so long! It took longer to upload because I thought I had already done it! then when I was about to upload the next chapt I noticed this one wasn't even up! So sorry about that!**

I grab my arrows as fast as I can, but it doesn't seem to be fast enough! The monkeys move faster than any other animal I've ever seen.

"Mutts!" I shout at Finnick as he desperately grabs a trident. Peeta has knives flying around him as if he's done knives all his life. Which I know he hasn't.

I shoot as many as I can in such a little time. But they keep coming and coming right out of the trees, I wonder how many there really is. How many people made these mutts?

I shoot down so many my fingers become so tired it's numbing. Then he world seems to slow down as I see what happens next. A mutt jumps from a tree, lunging right at Peeta. His back is turned and I'm out of arrows; so I do something only a crazy person would do. I jump and knock Peeta to the ground. Covering his body with mine. I hear a loud high screech and only manage to lift my head for a second to see the female morphing sinking to the ground, a monkey on top of her.

Then something hard hits my head and I pass out, still lying on top of Peeta.

**(A.N) I don't make chapters **_**that**_** short ok? No worries!**

I wake with a hand soothing my head, something cold is being pressed across my head. I don't know what it is until I open my eyes and find Peeta staring worriedly down at me. he cracks a smile when he sees my eyes open.

"How are you feeling?" he asks. I sit up then wince and my head throbs. A cold cloth falls off my head and lands in the sand next to me.

We're sitting in one of our little woven huts, the sand beneath me is warm and soft.

"Fine." I lie. Peeta can tell I'm most certainly not ok too because he gently pushes me back down onto the sand. A woven basket sits next to my head full of water. He dips the rag back into the water and places it back over my head. It's cold and comforting. "How was I knocked out?" I ask.

"One of the monkeys stepped on you in their haste to get away. It was so strange. Like, as soon as they had killed that morphine girl they were done. They all just ran back into the jungle." He looks worried. "the girl died. And Finnick left Mags in the fog to carry you. He's out there morning right now." He gestures at the mouth of the hut, where I can hear little sobs.

I can't really say anything after that. I want to say something to drown out the sound of the sorrow filled Finnick, but I don't have anything to say. So I just let Peeta clean me up.

I can get up soon so we walk out of the hut. Finnick has stopped crying by then. If he hadn't I would have stayed inside. I can't think of a reason why Finnick would pick me over Mags, or what she meant to him.

"Good your up." Is all he says, there's an edge in his voice that I hadn't noticed before. It makes me wince a bit, but I won't back down from Finnick.

I notice that most of my arrows have been saved and put into a pile by the water. I absent mindedly scratch my skin; it's starting to itch like crazy. My skin is all covered in little scabs.

Finnick is covered in some kind of salve that's green and smells awful.

"You look like a sea monster." I can't help commenting. Maybe I'm just mad at him for snapping, but I think it's just the truth. Finnick doesn't look up. He's got a basket of something next to him and he's cracking a shell with a rock. I see it's an oyster.

"Well, I am from district four," he says with a shrug. He tosses a tube of something over his shoulder at me. "It helps the itching." He says. I don't question him because my itching is becoming worse and worse.

I slather it on my whole body, not caring how it looks because it feels so good. I sigh. Peeta grins.

"What's so funny?" I ask. He chuckles.

"I remember you making that noise before." He chuckles. I turn completely red and throw myself at him, pinning him to the ground. He laughs more and starts tickling me. I roll off him as he tickles me more and more.

"Peeta…! I! c-can't… breathe!" I gasp. Peeta finally stops and I lay there catching my breath. "Don't _ever_ do that again!" I gasp in between giggles.

He smiles. It seems, we can still have some fun before we die.

I loaf of bread falls out of the sky. It's clearly Finnick's. he looks at it skeptically. I don't know why.

"This will go well with the food." I scoot over to the basket and look down at a sea or oysters. I smile happily and pick one out. We all dive in and stuff ourselves until we can't eat much more.

I don't know how long I've slept, but now the sun is high in the sky. I'm just starting to relax before I hear the scream. My eyes snap open. I sit up quickly. Looking around. Down the beach, a _huge_ title wave comes up the beach, sweeping the whole jungle. A canon goes off and the hover craft comes down the collect the body of another tribute.

I sit back on my hands. How many are alive now? Thirteen? Twelve? I sigh as Peeta and Finnick relax a bit. I slide back and put my head on Peeta's shoulder.

I hear another sound, not exactly a scream, more like a grunt of frustration. Three figures stumble down the beach. I sit up, one is most obviously Johanna yelling at two loopy walking others

"Johanna!" Finnick shouts and runs to them. Johanna stops yelling and settles for shoving Wiress (it's defiantly her) onto the ground before putting her hands on her hips and starting to yell at Finnick. Peeta and I follow her more slowly.

When we reach them Johanna is talking very fast to Finnick about what happened. All I can tell from her explanation is that they were thirsty, they were drenched in blood, and made it to the beach. Wiress has made it back to her feet and is wobbling around saying very quietly: "Tick tock, tick tock."

"SHUT UP!" Johanna stops mid-sentence with Finnick to shove Wiress back onto the ground.

"Hey! Lay off her! What did she do to you?" I ask, out raged that Johanna is so mean. Johanna turns purple with anger when she sees me. we were never very good friends anyway.

"why don't you make me?" she hisses, then, before I can react she slaps me so hard I fall down. "I got them out of that f-" she stopped when Peeta jumps on her, tackling her to the ground. "Hey!" she exclaims as her and Peeta starts brawling on the sand.

"Peeta!" I exclaim as I get to my feet, I share a look with Finnick, he rolls his eyes and I purse my lips. I tug on Peeta's arm and Finnick takes Johanna, throwing her over his shoulder and dumping her repeatedly in the water. I pull Peeta up. "What was that?" I ask. Peeta's nose is bloody… he looks livid.

"She hit you!" he exclaims, as I try to clean up his nose with my sleeve.

"I've suffered a lot worse." I say. "We never liked each other much anyway." I shrug. I'm sure half my face is red but I have to make it look like it wasn't anything. The starts are only just starting to move away from my eyes.

"I still don't like it…" Peeta is starting to calm down, but I can still hear Johanna's screaming and shouting over by the water. It seems she won't be calm for a while. "Are you ok?" he asks, now fear in his eyes.

I laugh. "Asks the boy with a bloody nose because a girl slapped me." he grunts, I pick up the cloth he used on me earlier and dunk it in some water. I hold it to his nose before I close his fingers around it. I kiss his forehead and walk back to Finnick. He looks almost bored dunking Johanna.

"Will she calm down?" I ask. Finnick looks up and shrugs. Johanna comes back up to spit another rank of curses. I walk back to Peeta and wait for her to calm down, she finally does, but by that time it's well into the afternoon.

"Why did you want them?" Peeta asks.

"They seem to be smart." I say. "Beetee is good with wires, and Wiress seems to have some kind of way to interpret the arena." All this time Beetee and Wiress have been sitting in the water, talking about something.

I don't say anything else. Just curl up next to Peeta on the sand and fall asleep.

**(A.N) I know, strange place to end it right. But it was getting kinda long and I don't have my book with me so I wasn't going to go on. Next chapter up on Wednesday! **


	12. Chapter 12

**(A.N) I realize I haven't been uploading regularly. But my school is out tomorrow! So I'll have a lot more up loads on the way!**

**I DON'T OWN THE HUNGER GAMES!**

I wake up in what must have only been a few minutes later because the sun hasn't moved. Finnick is done with Johanna though and she's sitting on the beach, still mumbling really insulting things at Peeta. Now I'm the one who wants to smack her.

I got sit in the water next to Wiress. She splashes around for a while; occasionally mumbling "tick, tock, tick, tock." She seems in tacked and so does Beetee, just little scratches that we can work with.

Johanna starts stuffing herself with food. Glaring at me all the time. I pretend not to notice and go on with cleaning up Wiress. Beetee seems incapable of doing anything but sitting in the shade and eating at a more reasonable pace.

The others are tired so I offer to stay up. I'm not tired. I had my short, short nap earlier so I feel fine. It ends up being me and Johanna. I sit next to Peeta with my arm around him; half to make sure that she doesn't attack him and half because I'm afraid she'll attack me.

Surprisingly Johanna doesn't say anything. Just stares at me with loathing, her knees pulled up under her chin. Wiress stirs and rolls over, mumbling "Tick tock, tick tock." Having nothing to talk about I just stare over at the jungle.

The lightning goes off and I jump. Peeta stirs and rolls over.

I feel like I'm missing something… the lightning hit over in the last pie wedge, the blood rain came from the other, the monkeys came from the next one over, and the blistering fog came after that. all in that order. Now I know I'm missing something. I look around more and think hard. We're in a circle, and everything is in order from where it's placed… like a clock. Suddenly everything Wiress said makes sense.

I scream in frustration, waking everyone up and run to the jungle. I need to get something to write on.

**(A.N) I don't write that short if I can help it**

"Katniss? Where are you going!" Peeta shouts behind me as I run for the forest. He gets up and tries to follow me, but it becomes harder and harder as the sand gets softer.

I keep running, the sand is hard to run in but I make it to the jungle. I run past trees and more trees until I find one with a big enough leaf to draw on. I'm not the good drawer, so I'll have to take it back to Peeta.

I finally find one and am about to make it back to the beach when I hear a snap behind me. I slowly raise my head and see Chaff standing above me, knife in hand.

"I was hoping it wouldn't be you." He says, he looks resigned to have to kill me, which I know he has to. I have no weapons, they're all back at camp.

"Then get it over with," I spit. He sighs, and flings his knife at me. I dodge it and pull it out of the bark. Now I have the weapon… but Chaff is pulling another out of his belt. Since I'm the one here with accuracy I have to make my one shot worth it.

He flings his knife, I don't dodge quick enough, it slices my arm. My throwing arm. I'll have to throw with my left.

I don't even look as I throw my knife blindly. Somehow it finds it's mark before Chaff can throw his third knife. I feel sick and only just make it to the bushes before I throw up. A canon goes off. I crawl over to Chaff and take his remaining five knives, getting myself covered in blood in the proses.

I slump back against a tree and wipe my mouth on my sleeve before getting back up and making my way to the beach. Eleven left.

When I stumble back to the beach I see Finnick holding Peeta back while Beetee and Wiress hold Johanna down. She's got a bloody nose and her arm looks bruised. Peeta seems to be shouting something but I can't make it out until I'm on the soft sand at the edge of the jungle.

"YOU MADE HER RUN OFF! IT'S YOUR FAULT SHE'S DEAD!" he shouts over and over.

Peeta thinks that _I_ was the one who dies when the canon went off. Oh man.

"I swear I didn't do anything!" Johanna screams back, equally angry. "We didn't even talk!"

"I don't believe you!" Peeta shouts. "What did you _really _do? Threaten her!" he keeps shouting, as Finnick eases him onto the sand. He doesn't even resist, just collapses and cries.

I sprint out of the shade of the jungle trees and up the soft sand to where Peeta is collapsed. Finnick sees me and his eyes grow wide. But Johanna doesn't see me, her head is flying everywhere, spiting curses with her eyes closed.

I wrap my arms around Peeta. He becomes still then lashes out so fast I'm flown onto the sand. He pins me down with his body. His eyes are wild; he looks practically ravenous until he sees it's me.

"KATNISS!" his voice is so full of relief that I let out a small laugh. "WHAT HAPPENED! WE HEARD THE CANON AND I JUST ASUMED-" he gathers me into his arms and kisses me, I feel kind of awkward but I let him have his relief. When he breaks away he starts talking very fast. I wait for him to run out of breath and stroke his hair gently. Finally he ends with: "WHAT HAPPENED!" I let him sob into my arms before telling them.

"Chaff died. He attacked me when I went out."

"Went out?" Finnick sounds incredulous. "we woke up to see you shrieking and running towards the jungle! What was that?"

"That, was her not thinking." Says Johanna sourly. "Which apparently she does a lot. It always gets me a bloody nose."

"Lay off her." Peeta's arms tighten around me as he whispers in my ear: "Why do I keep losing you and you." He nods at my stomach.

"That doesn't matter." I say. "I want to get to the cornucopia. To see if what I think is right… but if I am. We have to get moving. Like, right now." I get up out of Peeta's grip. Johanna wiggles out of Beetee's grasp, Finnick stands up to retrieve our stuff and Wiress skips to the water, singing some kind of nursery rhyme.

We wander down the beach until we reach the golden cornucopia. We move with care as we approach but I suppose we're not carful enough. Because next thing I know I hear a wet slick sound. Without hesitation this time I load an arrow and look behind me to see Wiress fall to the sand. My arrow finds Gloss's chest.

Johanna throws a knife at Cashmere and she does down with the two booms of the canon.

Brutus throws a spear at Peeta and he deflects so that Finnick can throw a trident at him. The third boom.

I pull out another arrow and hold it ready. But then the land beneath me comes right out, I have nothing to hold onto, so I just fall, right onto the arrow.

**(A.N) I know I know, I said Wednesday but I upload Friday. So sorry about that. but I will be uploading once a week from now on because I'm out of school! **


	13. Chapter 13

**(A.N) I'm baaaaaaaaack! Enjoy this chapt! Also, next week I'll be in Disney World! i can't bring my computer so next week will be without update. So sorry! **

I gasp as I fall. I jerk my hand in a desperate attempt so the arrow won't fall on my baby bump. Instead, the arrow stabs into my leg. It's so painful I scream at the top of my lungs until my throat gets hoarse and I go limp.

The world spins around me and I feel like I'm going to be sick. The force is throwing me into the water, I dig my heels in the soft sand but I'm quick being thrown into the water. The salt stings in my thighs and I suppress a cry.

All of a sudden I can't hold on any longer and I'm thrown into the water. I scream as Peeta cries out and tries to grab me. But I fly out too fast for his arms to catch me. The swirling cornucopia stops spinning right after I'm thrown splashing into the water.

I fly so far out it would take me all my strength to return, even if I didn't have the baby to worry about. And my blood loss from the wound in my leg makes it next to useless.

I go under the water and surface spluttering. In the distance someone jumps into the water, presumably Finnick… off to my rescue. Great just what I need, something else to owe him.

I was always good at being able to hold myself above water, but I don't know if I'll be able to stay above for the time it will take Finnick to get to me, so I start swimming in his direction. But after a few strokes I see it's useless, every stroke brings another stab of pain into my leg. I don't know how deep the water is, it could be 12 feet or 900 feet. I'm glad for the floatation device, without it I would already be at the bottom.

It's maybe a minute before the water around me starts to churn. Fins splash water in my face and it becomes more and more hard to see, I squeeze my eyes shut and pray it's not sharks.

Something slippery and slimy brushes under my foot and I scream. My blood is making the water redder and redder. I don't know how whatever kind of fish this is will take it. it brushes my foot again and I yell at the top of my already-too-shore-to-even-talk lungs.

Finnick's bronze head surfaces near by, looks startled.

"Katniss, Hold On!" he shouts.

"To What!" I yell back. Finnick reappears next to me and raps an arm around my shoulders.

"These are Car fish." He explains calmly, how can he be calm, we are floating so far away from the shore that everyone (including the dancing one, which I'm sure is Peeta freaking out) looks like ants.

"Why the name Car fish?" I ask just to keep my mind calm. I squeeze my eyes shut as Finnick very carefully pushes us a little way at a time. I know he could propel us back to shore if he wanted, so why is he going so slow?

"Because they're the size of cars. They feed off of blood" he muses, "A very good play on the Gamemaker's part, easy clean up."

My eyes snap open and I freeze up. I'm suddenly aware of how the water is rapidly becoming less and less red.

"Should I be concerned?" I ask.

"Well, they might try to find the source of blood. So don't be alarmed if-" I cut him off with a scream that almost makes him drop me.

A feel something sucking on my leg, it's warm and sharp and… _disgusting. _

"Calm down!" Finnick says, I try to stop squirming.

"GET ME OUT OF HERE!" I yell. Finnick chuckles and move a bit faster. I try to use my good leg to push us but I'm rapidly becoming weaker, all the blood loss and the (I'm assuming) Car fish sucking on my leg.

My head lolls to the side and I have a hard time opening my eyes. Finnick is saying words that I only hear in a dull whisper. By the time Finnick drags me onto the shore I'm panting, sweaty and I'm almost positive Finnick's head has turned into a butterfly.

Peeta's head appears above me, I reach out a hand testily to touch his cheek, what I think is a deer head.

"She's lost a lot of blood we-" Finnick's words get smaller and smaller in my mind and I close my eyes.

"BUT WE CAN'T JUST LET HER DIE!" Peeta screams, that I can hear. "SHE'S CARRYING MY CHILD! I CAN'T LET EITHER OF THEM DIE!"

"Johanna," Finnick says calmly as if Peeta's rant doesn't bother him. "go into the jungle and find some of that moss, we should use it to try to stop the bleeding."

"Why should i-" Johanna starts but Peeta cuts her off with a bunch of yelling that sends her into the jungle.

"Katniss…" he brings me into his arms and holds onto me. my head lolls onto his shoulder, with my eyes closed I must look pretty dead. Because next thing I know Peeta is shaking me.

"Lemme sleep!..." I groan.

"If she wants her strength back she'll need to." Finnick says as Johanna trots out of the jungle with her arms loaded with the moss.

Finnick lifts up my leg and rolls up my pant leg. I hear Peeta suck in a breath and open my eyes a bit, it makes me want to vomit. A long gash runs up my leg, at a part deep. The skin around the wound in yellowish grey which means I've lost a lot of blood.

"It's fine." Finnick lies. "We just need to stop the bleeding and let you sleep.

"Good idea…" I mumble. "Sleep sounds good…" I go on mumbling none sense as Finnick packs my wound with soft moss.

Peeta strokes my hair as I wander into sleep. When Peeta tries to wake me for the fith time Finnick says: "Just let her sleep, we don't need her to be awake and sap her energy."

When I sleep. Of course I have night mares.

**(A.N) this is kind of a filler chapter because half way through I had no idea where I was going. So next chapter up in a week. Also, I got a FictionPress, which is the sister site to this one. , u can get to it from the home page. So plzzzzz just go check me out, I put up a story the other day and I just want reviews and knowing how awesome u guys r, plz just go read it and tell me what u think! Oh wait, I'm Iris in the Ivy. And it has the same weird way of not bringing up a story when u search it. so just go find me and see what I put up. **


	14. Chapter 14

**(A.N) I'm baaaack! Disney was fun, but not as fun as writing to you guys! So, enjoy! Kinda long depending on how you look at it**

_President Snow stands above me, a baby in one hand, a knife in the other. Somehow I know it's _my _baby. I scream at him to put her down, but my voice makes no sound. He brings down the knife and I hear a child scream. Next thing I know I'm screaming._

I wake in a panicky sweat. Peeta hovers closely next to me.

"Katniss…?" he asks. I try to sit up quickly and see my leg is bandaged in some kind of substitute gauze that Haymitch must have sent.

"Oh," I say, a little breathlessly. "Hi Peeta." I take a deep breath and close my eyes again.

"No! wait! Don't go back to sleep again." Peeta begs.

"Why not…" I whine.

"Because, you look dead when you do." he says.

"Thanks for being so blunt." I say.

He chuckles and goes on: "I held your hand. Making sure you were still alive." it seems like a sweet gesture. He was making sure I wasn't dead. But it still makes me go: wait… what?

"Ok then." I say. "Talk to me to keep me up. I promise I won't go back to sleep."

"What do you want to talk about?" he asks.

"Anything… why do you think our baby is still alive after all this?" I ask. "I mean, the electric shock would do in any baby."

" I think she's just a fighter, like her mother." He says. "Or maybe your clothes channeled the electrics down. I dunno. But I'm glad you _and _them are alive."

"I'm hardly a fighter right now." I say, "I've been shocked with 100 volts of electricity, thrown out into the middle of an ocean, lost a lot of blood from a… car fish? I don't exactly feel like a winning star." I open my eyes and look at his baby blue eyes.

I hear a screech off the side of my vision, assuming it's Johanna I close my eyes and purse my lips.

"I CAN'T STAY HERE ONE MORE MOMENT!" she wails. I roll my eyes. There's something we can agree on, I can't stay here very long either.

"Johanna calm down." Beetee's calm voice wafts over. "No one wants to stay here."

"WELL I CAN'T STAAAAAAAAAND IT!" she hollers. There's a splashing sound and a yelp, so I assume Finnick has dunked her in the water.

"Listen to _her_." Peeta wrinkles his nose. I think Peeta has developed an overnight hatred of Johanna. "She's been wailing like that for hours."

A sudden thought pops up into my mind. "Peeta, what are we going to name it?" I ask.

"It's a little early to think about that," he says. "But all the boys in my family are named after bread. So how about Cheese Buns Mallark."

I laugh. "We are _not _naming our child Cheese Buns!"

"Alright, then how about Peeta junior."

"No." I tap my chin.

"What about Prim?" Peeta asks softly.

"How about that?" I look up towards the sky. "What do you think Prim?" I shout. Peeta laughs.

Finnick comes and sits next to us.

"I think we should start to get going. We don't have another map so we don't know where we're going anymore, but Beetee thinks we should risk It." he says

"I thought that the cornucopia faced 12. Why can't we just make another map?" I sit up next to Peeta, my head spinning lightly.

"When the cornucopia spun it faced a different way. It's not pointing the same way now." He sighs and shakes his head as some more of Johanna's shouts come up. "I knew it was a bad idea to leave Johanna alone with Beetee all by himself." He gets up and throws one last glance over his shoulder; opens his mouth as if he's going to say something, then decides it's not worth it and walks back to hysterical Johanna.

"Finnick's right. We've been here more than an hour, whatever's happening over here is in the jungle." He gets up and dusts off his hands on his pants before offering me a hand up. I sway a bit when I get up, but other than that I'm fine walking towards Johanna and Finnick.

Johanna has lost it.

She's tearing at Finnick and Beetee, her nails cutting the fabric on their backs. She screams words that I'm sure the Capitol is beeping out right now. Great. Now we have to deal with this.

When she sees me, she tugs out of Finnick's grip and practically _flies _at me. ripping my front and clawing at my neck. Remind me to find a knife and cut those nails when she's sleeping. They're like claws!

Peeta intercepts her, tackling her to the ground while Finnick sits on top of her, holding her arms behind her back.

"YOU BITCH!" she screams over and over at me. Finnick gets her into a sitting position. "YOU DON"T DESERVE TO HAVE A CHILD!... OR A HUSBAND!" she screams. I turn livid and before anyone can stop me I march right up to her and slap her so hard she falls down; dazed, but un-harmed. Oh I wish.

Peeta wraps his arms around me and tries to pull me back, but I start screaming and I don't think I can stop.

"What do _YOU _ know about having a child!" I screech. "You're a slobbering git face that has a temper!" I scream as Peeta pulls me back from the fight. Finnick loses a bit of his grip on Johanna and she slips forward. Her face is livid and purple.

"_I _should know! I've been trying for years! But it only happens to those who are lucky little bitches who break down and cry at everything!"

I stop struggling and sit down. Stunned. Johanna wants a child. Her sudden anger towards me before makes sense. _She's been trying for years? _I suddenly feel like a horrible person.

"That's _right! _Cry! Go on." Her voice falters and she sits down, and just looks out onto the water. This is a new side of Johanna that I've never seen. An actual sad one, one that's not hard. One that's broken.

I stand and just run. I can't stand to look at her, how sad she is, how she looks so dejected sitting on the shore.

Finnick and Peeta run after me, but I don't even notice until I've broken through the underbrush and burst into the jungle. Finnick is right on my heels. He grabs me before I can make it very far. I hear a whacking sound and Peeta cries out in pain.

I look back. A solid wall has risen up between the beach and I. I run back and pound it with my fists. Peeta says something on the other side but I can't hear him. Finnick comes up behind me and takes my trembling hand.

"We can only go forward now." He says, so with a reigned sigh we walk back into the jungle.

**(A.N) so. Miss me? next chapter up in maybe a few days. It'll be really long so get ready. I've been saving up a lot into the final chapters. Thinking up some more twists and turns. Any way, what did you think of the Johanna thing. I hadn't thought it up until I started writing… so it's a bit rushed. But it's still there. **


	15. Chapter 15

**(A.N) sorry I didn't update so soon. But I forgot to say it would be a while 'cause I was traveling to epic places and they didn't have wifi so I couldn't use my comp to upload. So, enjoy and Happy Hunger Games!**

Finnick slowly pulls me farther into the jungle. Tugging me backwards. I don't take my eyes off the wall.

"Katniss… we just have to keep walking until we get to the-" Finnick is cut off by the sound of a high, shrill shriek that almost deafens my ears. The worst part is that I know that scream. It's Prim's.

"PRIM!" is sounds like it's coming from the right, then the left, then right in front of me, then behind me then just circling around me.

I run in zig-zags trying to catch the sound of my little sister's voice. But every which way I go her voice goes another. I've long forgotten Finnick as he's running after me, trying to tell me it's not her. It's just supposed to mess with my mind.

But I don't hear him.

The screaming keeps on going. I run in circles, then another voice joins it.

"Katniss! Please!" it's Peeta. Now his voice is running the opposite way, in the other direction Prim's voice is. Over and over. Peeta screaming. Prim screaming.

Then another voice. I don't know this one. But Finnick does. He hears it and his whole body goes stiff. Then he runs for the other voice. I'm tempted to run after him but Peeta and Prim's voice turn me away.

I run into a clearing, their voice right above me. they seem to have stopped right here. I look up and see the thing that now makes me feel like an idiot.

Jabberjays. I suddenly hate birds.

Prim's not screaming and neither is Peeta. But then where did they get the sound for them to imitate? The question rings in my head a hundred times. Soon followed by more questions. They could have taken Peeta's scream from the last Hunger Games. But where did they get Prim's screams?

I didn't take my weapons so I have no way to silence it. so I just curl up in a ball and cover my ears with my hands. I should have stopped to think about what I might find in the jungle. Darn Johanna.

Finnick bursts into the clearing, his eyes are dilated but wide, he looks ravenous and wild, unlike the calm clean Finnick who offered me sugar before the chariot races.

"Annie!" he keeps screaming, I have no idea who Annie is but whoever it is, they're torturing him with her. "Where are you!" he's screaming so loud that when he finds the bird responsible for the screams his look is so murderous it makes me shiver.

He reaches up into the branches and grabs the bird so fast it's all a blur. he starts shaking it and throwing it around. and the more it does the more the screams come; im beginning to think that It can't squawk.

"Finnick!" I shout. He barely looks at me. "SHUT UP! YOU'RE JUST MAKING IT SCREAM MORE!"I finally drag myself to my feet and start shaking _him _until he drops the bird in shock. "Pull it together." I say more quietly.

As soon as I say that _Gale's _scream goes off. It hurts that it hurts so much to hear them scream. Who knew he had such pipes! His scream is the loudest. I wonder what they did to make him scream like that.

Finnick takes my hand and leads me back to the glass wall. Peeta is still standing there, nose and face pressed to the glass. At any other time the way his nose looks pressed to the glass would have made me laugh but now all I can think of is how he can't hear the screams.

We reach the glass and I press my face to the glass next to his. The birds fly around us, perching on the branches that are low and close to our ears. Soon a swarm of them is around us.

Peeta says words I can't hear, I focus on his face, trying to understand what he's saying. But I can't hear anything, until I hear everything.

Screams reverberating around in skull, Gale's, Peeta's, Prim's, Mother's, Cinna's, even Effie's and Haymitch's. Everyone I care about, their screams run around in my head. Other cries I don't recognize are there, ones that seem to be causing Finnick pain.

"Annie!" he keeps shouting. Over and over. The sounds lull over in my head until it's a very loud dull ache.

I crawl down the glass, hands clamped over my ears; crawling in on myself. into a tight ball. I rock back and forth, my eyes squeezed shut and my ears blocking as much as I can out. I think, at this point, it would be wonderful to be deaf, just so I wouldn't have to endure the screams.

My mind dulls over.

Time seems to stretch until I feel strong hands wrapping around me, cradling me and holding me. I don't care if it's Finnick, I don't care if it was Mother at that point. All I know is that those awful screams are over and I'm venerable. I've never felt so naked before. Those sounds got inside me. shook me like Finnick shook that bird.

I slowly and carefully move my hands away from my ears. Slowly and carefully opening my eyes.

"Katniss?" Peeta's words are very quiet, like I'm a child. Which is what I feel like, I just want to burst out and cry. He holds me for a long time. Just rocking back and forth. I have no idea of time when I feel so fragile.

I sit in Peeta's lap until he carries me down to the beach where he sits at the water's edge.

We watch the sun go down. Eight dead today, eight dead before. Sixteen dead. All the faces of everyone dead flash across the sky. I look up at Peeta. He looks out over the water with a clam gaze.

"How did they get their screams?" Thankfully I've calmed down enough that my voice doesn't break anywhere.

"I don't know." That doesn't reassure me.

Beetee and Finnick come and sit next to us. Finnick dives in the water and swims out, then just sits, his head bobbing above the serf.

"Could they have disoriented it somehow?" Peeta asks Beetee.

"It would be easy enough. They probably just interviewed your family and pitched it." he seems unconcerned at what they can do.

I put my head on Peeta's shoulder and close my eyes. I don't think I can sleep but I do.

**(A.N) so I ended it there. I kept wondering why I made it like this because this is one of my least fav parts in Catching Fire, but I like this chapter. Review!**

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	16. Chapter 16

**(A.N) I know I know, I've been less than crummy at updating and I'm sorry! And this story is almost over! But I WILL be doing a version of Mockingjay. So hold on tight! (A.N)**

I wake still resting on his shoulder. Still sitting at the edge of the water.

I look over at Finnick, still sleeping; Johanna, still sleeping; Beetee, still sleeping. That means we all slept through the night. Who was even on watch? I look up at Peeta, how in the world did he fall asleep sitting up?!

I jump to my feet. Nearly knocking Peeta down. He looks around bewildered as I desperately search through our stuff; panicking when I don't see the spiel quickly enough. I'm already parched, and I remember how thirsty I got last year.

When I see that everything is in it's right place is sit down. Still exhausted. The lighting goes off so it's midnight.

Peeta looks at me, judging what happened. "is something wrong?" he asks.

"we all slept through the night. No one was awake!" I know I shouldn't be mad, nothing happened. But something still strikes a nerve.

Peeta points out the obvious: "nothing happened. We're all fine." He scratches his neck and leans back on his hands while I sit down on my knees and cross my arms.

"I know, but I still feel bad about it. I mean, the careers could have come and stolen out stuff while we were asleep! Then we wouldn't have the spiel and they would have a fine chance to kill us and we would all be dead." I frown.

Peeta scoots over and reaches under his shirt. He pulls out a locket with my mockingjay embedded onto the front. When he pops the lid I see two pictures. One with mother and Prim laughing and the other of Gale smiling.

"Where in the world did you get a picture of Gale smiling?!" I ask, there aren't many of those.

Peeta shrugs. "Madge gave it to me."

"And what was Madge doing with the picture?!" I demand. And when did Peeta talk to Madge? "That right there is a relic!" Peeta laughs.

"Where ever it came from I want you to have it." he tries to put it in my hands but I push it back. He sighs and says. "Katniss, you have Prim when you get back, you have your mother, you even have your cousin! They'll all miss you, if you die. Sure my parents will mourn, but they'll get over it. I'm not hurting anyone if I go."

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?" I scream. I can't help it, rage has flushed me. how dare he say no one will miss him?! Of course everyone will miss him. And if he thinks I'll just end up with Gale when he dies; he is going to be one very sorry baker.

Finnick and Beetee wake with starts. They look around wildly from my screaming, I turn to them. Fuming.

"You two better run or you'll be knocked out for this conversation." Now that I've woken them up I'm not letting them hear what I'm going to say. They bolt off down the beach and Johanna mumbles and rolls over in her sleep. No chance in getting her awake.

"Katniss, calm down." Peeta tries to put the locket in my hands, but I pull them out, still mad.

"PEETA MELLARK! YOU. WILL. NOT. SAY. THAT!" I yell. "You are not going to die! If you died how do you think I'll be able to EVER look at our kid without bursting into tears!?" I grab his other hand and put it on my mid-drift. "How could you think no one will be hurt by you leaving?! I'M GOING TO BE ONE VERY HURT PERSON IF YOU DIE!" tears roll down my cheeks in fat drops.

"Katniss, no one needs me. everyone needs you, you're important to everyone around you." He reasons.

"I NEED YOU?!" I yell. "I'm not going to let you die. I wish you had never volunteered for Haymitch. Then I could win and go home to you!" I know what I'm saying is hurtful but I don't care. It's the truth. I wish he had.

"I wasn't about to let you go back in here alone." Peeta pulls me close and I can feel his tears run into my hair.

"Then don't let me walk into life alone." I sob into his shirt. I know that sounds absolutely soap-opera sad, but I don't think I could live with him gone.

"is it just you're job to make me feel guilty?" Peeta demands. He pulls away and holds my shoulders. "Katniss Everdeen. You are going to make it out of this with our child. You are going to raise him or her wonderfully without me."

"Peeta, _I _had to grow up without a father. I don't want that on anyone else least of all _my _child!" I complain. Peeta sighs and looks down. He can't meet my eyes. Some tears fall down my face. Peeta sighs wearily.

"I know you did. I know you don't want that, but it's what's going to have to happen." He looks up and brushes the tears on my face away with his thumbs. "I'm not going to let you _and _our child die and the games. It would be better me."

"No!" I say suddenly. "I'll… I'll figure out a way we can both survive. i… I have to!" I know I'm just looking for a way to deny the fact that in the end one of us will have to die.

"Hey!" Finnick calls from down the beach. "Can we come back?"

I sigh and call for him to come back. Johanna just rolls over.

I sit back on Peeta's lap as Beetee and Finnick sit down. No one bothers with Johanna.

"What's our next move?" Beetee asks. It's a fair question and the truth is that I don't know. We could wander down the beach and hope that we just so happen to come upon the careers and that we can destroy them all at once. But that's not going to happen no matter how much I wish for it.

As if on cue a parachute falls onto the beach.

Finnick opens the basket and counts 24 rolls from district three. That gives up 33 from the night before, we each take five and leave eight in reserve. My hunger is ravenous as I wolf down my rolls. They're small and in the end the others consent to giving me one more which is wolfed down like the others.

"Well, that's obvious" Johanna says. We all look at her. "we'll have to trap Enobaria and Brutus." She explains. "and I'm hoping Beetee has a plan since I'm clean out."

Beetee nods quickly, staring at his spool of wire.

"I think we should electrocute them. at twelve when the lightning starts I could run my wire from the beach to the tree and shock the water and any part of the beach that's wet. We'll need to be in the jungle when this happens and we better get a move on if we want to make it."

I can tell Beetee is refraining from making a long detailed answer but I'm glad he didn't. I'm always exhausted now and it's killing me to keep my eyes open. Johanna sees this and snaps her finger infront of my eyes.

When we get up Peeta just gets up with me in his arms.

"I can walk." I mumble. I rub my eyes and squirm out of his grip so I'm standing next to him. I grab his hand as we make our way up the beach and into the jungle. We walk diagonally so we're in a section we don't know. I can just hope it's not this slice's turn.

My mistake. As we walk in Johanna stops to inspect something on a tree and I see it happening. Starting at where the jungle begins the ground is falling from beneath the trees. Making pit holes everywhere. I mean to make a sound but just then the wave takes the ground out from under my free and I see what's happening.

It's like the game makers are holding a big blanket and on one end they're flicking it over and over so rolls of ground come out from under our feet. Everyone falls on their faces but I jump quickly. Landing on the next ripple. I try to help Finnick up but I'm pulled down.

Johanna screeches as I head a crunch that I can only presume is Beetee's glasses crunching under him.

Everything is rocking back and forth. But I see the trees are un-moved. The roots are keeping them in place. If we could only get into the trees we would be safe. I try to reach the nearest tree but I'm thrown just before I reach it.

"grab the trees!" I should to everyone. Johanna is wailing about how much the hates trees, which I can't understand since she comes from District 7. But still she tries to grab the trees and struggles to hold on.

I manage to grab a lower limb of one of the trees and Peeta grabs my foot. We could be trapped in this section for an hour and then we would have one hour or less to get to the tree unless we wanted to wait another twelve hours.

Finnick grabs Johanna's middle and Beetee grabs Finnick's foot. if we can't get into these trees soon we'll all m=be tossed around like popcorn before we're straightened out.

I try to grab the next branch but I slip and am left clinging to the lower branch again.

I look down at the beach and see a plummet coming toward us. But this one doesn't have another after it and it's at least seven feet deep. They're going to drop us into a pit.

"hold on!" I should as the drop comes and we're left with nothing beneath us. It's a clear drop eight or nine feet.

It's Beetee who slips first. Then Finnick then, I can't believe that Peeta does.

I try to grab the second branch again but it's too far away and I slip until I'm dangling by my fingertips. Johanna has managed to pull herself up onto a low branch and is looking down at us with a smug expression.

"Johanna! Help me!" it kills me to ask Johanna for help but I know I must if I'm to get any of the others out. Because, how are they going to fill this hole up again? They're going to have to fill it. and with Peeta stuck inside I know I'll just let myself be killed without him.

Johanna looks smug as she crawls over to me and looks perplexingly at my fingers, the only thing keeping me up.

She considers. Then reaches forward and says: "naw" she plucks my fingers off the branch and I fall into the pit. Right on top of Peeta.

**(A.N) oooooooo! Johanna back stabber! Well, we'll see what happened before the end of the next week!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

**(A.N) I'm baaaaaaack! So I was at the beach last week without my computer so I couldn't type but I'm back now and be prepared….**

"Ooff!" I land on Finnick, knocking him to the ground. And succeeding in knocking my head hard against the ground. Everything spins and three Peetas try to help me up. I shake my head trying to clear It but all I do is stumble around for a minute.

When I regain my balance I turn my head up and scream: "You bitch! How could you do this to us! We helped you!"

Her head appears over the side of the hole, it's contorted into a sneer. "Yea," she says sarcastically. "I needed to get Wires and Beetee out of there when it cost me getting drenched in blood, I _needed _to be dunked many times in the water, I _needed _to let out my secret. You haven't helped me at all; that's how I could do this to you. The only one I want to get out of that pit in Finnick and now I know he'll just push _me _in and get you all out. So good luck winning when you're dead." She makes a mocking solute and disappears.

"She's right," Finnick mumbles. "I would've pushed her in." he rubs the back of his neck as I sit down heavily.

"What now?" Beetee asks. I shrug and put my head between my knees, trying to makes the spinning go away. "We have an hour before we die and another before the lightning goes off. We won't be able to make it in time."

"We have no." Finnick groans. "Otherwise we have to wait another twelve hours and by then some of us could be dead."

"Of course we're going to die." I mumble. "We'll be buried in a huge pit. " I say sourly. I look up at the vines hanging from the trees, if only they were a little longer or I was a little taller…

"Katniss don't say that. We're going to be fine." Peeta reassures everyone.

If only I was a little taller…

"We have to just work something-"

"Peeta." I cut him off. "Shut up and hoist me up." I stand up, making the world tilt. Peeta touches me shoulders to steady me from falling over.

"You'll fall right over." He argues. "Already you look like you're going to fall right over."

"I'll lift her." Finnick offers. Peeta shoots him a death glare but all he does is shrug it off. "If Katniss makes a rope with the vines and I lasso it around a branch we can pull each other up. I saw her knots in the training center, and they're pretty good." He grins bashfully. Finnick? Bashful? Haha! I must be seeing things.

I walk over to Finnick and he hoists me up on his shoulders. I just barley manage to grab onto the corner of the pit. I grab again, my fingers coming away with dirt caked into my nails. The third time I grab a root and hold on. I pull until I'm hoisted half way up. Finnick gives me one last push and then I'm sitting on the edge with my legs dangling down.

"Can you grab the vines?" Beetee shouts.

I give him a "duh" look. I look up at the vines and grab the first one I see; they're long so it only takes four to make a rope long enough.

I lasso it into a tree and throw the other end down into the pit. Finnick is the first one up, Beetee has some trouble so Peeta pushes him and Finnick pulls him, Peeta is the last one.

"Where would Johanna have gone?" Finnick wonders aloud.

"She would have gone somewhere she knew." Beetee explains. "she won't go back to the blood rain and she knows we're going to the lightning tree so she'll stay away from there."

"Let's not worry about this now." Finnick says. All I want to do is go after her but if we do we'll waist time getting to the tree. "Right now we've got maybe an hour to get the tree all wired up and ready to hit the water. We need to get moving."

We set off along the force field. We have to run to make it through the ten o'clock before the clicking starts, and then through the eleven o'clock stretch. By the time we've made it into twelve o'clock I'm badly winded and clutching my sides. Beetee is the only other one puffing though, which doesn't improve my mood.

Beetee starts by wrapping the wire all around the base and lower branches of the tree working his way as high as he can get. When he can't get any farther he hands the wire to me and I jump around the branches until I get to the top.

The eleven o'clock torment starts and I watch the blood rain fall from up in the tree. I shiver and scamper down before I have to watch anymore.

Now we have to make our way back to the water. We have little less than half an hour so we're running again to make it in time. I really hate running.

Passing a large tree something lashes out at my ankle and I fall to the ground. Finnick stops short and Peeta runs right into a tree. I blindly look up and see a towering Johanna; her axe raised high above her head.

**(A.N) I'm so mean about cliffys aren't i? well, sorry about that, but there isn't much of the games left and I'm trying to make it as long as possible. I also apologize for the whole time thing, I got really confused in which section they were in half way through and I had no idea which way they were going ect. So I'm writing the next chapter right now. Do not worry. It won't be long a wait. :D **


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

**(A.N) short-ish I know but I have to get all my stuff ready for tomorrow 'cause it's the first day of school for me…. D: but I'll be updating soon. **

Her axe came down near my head and I rolled to dodge it. Though it did cut off a piece of my hair. She plies her blade out of the ground and makes for another swing before Finnick lunges at her. They roll around, getting dirt everywhere. I couch as Peeta pulls me to my feet.

Finnick pins Johanna to the ground; holding her arms above her head and sitting on her stomach.

"How could you Johanna?!" he spits at her.

Her eyes are wild with hatred and fear. Her lips twitch when she talks- no, screams.

"She has _EVERYTHING _I need and want. _EVERYTHING _why can't I get something I want every once and a while, huh? Oh yea. BECAUSE SHE'S THE FREAKING MOCKINGJAY! THE REBELL LEADER! SHE. GETS. EVERYTHING!" Finnick slaps her, I'm tempted to slap her too but Peeta has started to pull me along, not to mention the fact that she just shouted about the rebels in the Hunger Games. She's opting to get killed. But that's not my problem when she's being such a bitch.

"Katniss, we need to run." Peeta urges. I take one last look at Finnick before Beetee, Peeta, and I run down to the water. It's a hard business dodging the trees and unrolling the wire at the same time, we don't get very far before we're tripping and getting tangled up.

Beetee throws the roll to me, I trip over something and fall right on my face; the spool rolling out of my hands. Peeta lunges at it but only manages to run it out of our grasp and down the slope.

"Going somewhere?" a merciless voice behind me hisses. I try to turn over but something hard and cold presses into my neck.

I look up at Peeta but behind him stands Ebornia, a knife held at his throat. Beetee is cowering at the base of a tree, his hands thrown over his head and shaking; it won't do him much good if he gets attacked, they'll just cut his arm until he bleeds to death.

I kick at what must be Brutus, he laughs at my feeble attempt. I kick harder, this time at his shins and he grunts.

"All right then, enough chit-chat." he scoffs. he pulls me up by my hair until I'm standing like Peeta with my back to him and a knife held at my throat. "It's time to end this pitiful little romance you have."

he digs the knife a little way into my collar bone, drawing blood.

"Let her go!" Peeta croaks. I'm sure everyone watching must be on the edge on their seats; waiting to see if the star-crossed lovers will die. Somehow this gives me strength, i remember what Peeta said the night before we went into the games the first time. That he didn't want to be another piece in their games.

I kick him right where it hurts. He lets out a woosh of air and falls off my, gasping in pain. I kick him down again, and again.

"Stop that!" Ebornia commands; I have to remind myself that she has Peeta by the neck as well. So I stop, but only for him. "Or little lover boy gets it." I'm reminded how last year's careers called him that and how Ebornia is just another career.

Brutus gets up, wincing. He gives me a death glare and puts me into a head lock, much like the one Cato put Peeta into last year. But this time I'm the one whose head could be snapped and I don't have my arrows. Where's Finnick and his tridents when you need him?

As if on queue a very wild looking Finnick comes crashing through the forest trident in hand. A boom sounds in the distance signaling that Johanna is dead. No matter how much of a bitch and how much we hated each other I feel sorry for her, she was just another tribute that went crazy. Oh well.

"Wha-" Ebornia starts but Finnick's throw is faster. Peeta ducks just as it hits Ebornia's chest. The boom means she's dead. Brutus look around like he can't believe that just happened, and I take this chance to kick him again; this time with all my might. He goes down like a dead bolt, groaning and moaning.

I look away when Finnick puts his trident through him back. Now it's just us. Beetee, Finnick, Peeta and I. and there's no use for the wire.

Our alliance has broken and now it's a free for all.

**(A.N) note: I did not mean for this chapter to end like this but Isaac is about to hit where I live and I have to save battery on everything because we are going to have to go with out it for a week. I already have the next chapter but I don't want to upload just yet. Lets hope the power comes back soon! **


	19. Chapter 19

**(A.N) so, Isaac about to hit, so I'm not sure when I'll be able to update it since my neighborhood is usually the last to get power back. So here it goes: short chapter I think…**

There is a moment when all of us just look at each other, trying to realize what it means that now we're all in a free for all. our alliance broken.

I do the rational thing. I grab Peeta's wrist and run. A here branches crush in the back ground. That means Finnick and Beetee are running away from us.

And that we're running toward the lightning tree.

I make a split second decision; if I blow up the force field the arena might go up to and then they can't continue the games and we all can get out alive.

Peeta pulls me to a stop. I didn't even realize I've been panting and wheezing.

"That can't be good for you." He says. All I can do is grunt while I try to get my breath back.

I take my arrows off my back and look at the thin wire that still lays limp under our feet.

"What are we going to do…" I wonder out loud. "I don't want to kill Finnick; or for that matter Beetee." I study the tips of my arrows.

Peeta pulls me into a hug. "And I don't want to kill you. You know I couldn't do that." I feel tears pricking my eyes; Peeta doesn't say anything. He knows just like the rest on Panam that I would figure out something.

Over Peeta's shoulder I see the force field in all its might. All the power it holds and all the destruction it could do is more than tempting.

Peeta pulls away and gives me a kiss that warms my insides. He takes my shoulders and looks me dead in the eyes. "I'm not going to make it out Katniss; you are. So while I'm alive I'm not letting anything happen to you." This brings the rush of tears; horrible sounds come from my mouth as I sob into peeta's shirt. I'm not concerned that there are thousands of capitol people out there watching, mortified probably.

Peeta rubs my back and croons in my ear. When my tears have died down a bit I rub my rose on my sleeve and sit down with Peeta's arms wrapped tightly around me. I rest my head on his shoulder, looking at the dead piece of wire that seems to be slithering across the floor…

Slithering across the floor?

I sit up and rub my eyes. I'm right. The string it slithering across the floor towards the force field.

"Peeta," I tug on Peeta's shirt and get up just as the edge of it runs past us. "Come on." I gesture to his and we run through the forest after the string.

As we reach the clearing with the tree in it I hide behind a bush and watch as Finnick secures the end of it to his trident. Beetee is looking up at the sky in wonder and is grinning.

It looks like it won't be me blowing up the force field; Finnick is going to do it.

"How long until the lightning hits?" Finnick asks. He's practically bouncing from foot to foot. I can tell he's nervous about what he's going to do.

"Not long." Beetee says, peering up at the sky. "Maybe a minute."

I look at Peeta. His mouth is a silent O. his arms curl protectively around me, but that won't do much good when everything blows up.

I bet the game makers are on the edge of their seats.

The game makers! They won't just let this happen; they'll send something to stop it. something that they can control. Mutts.

Across the clearing a growl comes out of the darkness. Beetee freezes and Finnick raises his trident. Too bad Beetee is un armed and Finnick only has one trident.

I shrug Peeta's hands off me and grab my arrows. Three mutts come out of the woods just as I take aim. _Fire_.

A mutt goes down with a yelp, Finnick looks around for where it might have come from. I look at Peeta. He kisses me and whispers in my ear "be careful, I'm right behind you." He takes my hand and we stand up, breaking our cover and stepping into the mutts line of vision.

One charges at me but I've already got an arrow notched and fired before he can get very far. Two more come out of the thicket as Peeta and I step in front of Finnick and Beetee.

I shoot two more as Peeta throws his knife at the other. Which leaves one for up to tackled.

"Make that trident count, Finnick." Peeta shouts. I don't have time to gauge his reaction as the lightning strikes the tree.

I let my last arrow fly at the last mutt as everything explodes into light.

I grab onto Peeta and hold him tight as everything around us goes white.

**(A.N) one more chapter! And that's just going to be the prequel to the next one. I'm totally doing Mockingjay now. It's going to be called **_**The Baby Mockingjay**_** but I haven't started it yet so hold on tight! *0* **


	20. Chapter 20

**(A.N) so last chapter! *tears up* thank you to EVERYONE for reading it and reviewing and just being awesomez! So, plot twist and something very sweet and important. **

I wake up with the leering face of President Snow's a few inches above mine.

I try to scream but find I'm gaged.

Snow smiles an evil smile. "Wondering where lover boy is? Well, I'll tell you he's not here." I look down at myself and find I'm cuffed to a table in nothing but a hospital dress. "Your little rebel friends took him. Didn't look once for you." He smirks and walks over to a window. Outside I see clouds rushing past.

We're on our way to the capitol.

Snow claps his hands behind his back and bounces on his heels. "we're going to take you to the capitol and see if we can put this little 'mockingjay' idea out of your head. We're going to break you, and make you crawl back to them to show them the might of the capitol."

I try to spit something out but the gag makes it very hard to talk. Snow walks over and says in mock curiosity: "what was that? I didn't hear you." He removes the gag and words come tumbling out of my mouth.

"I'll never break! Not for anything!" I scream a long line of profanities but all Snow does is make a _tisk-tisk _sound and put the gag back on me. I put all my energy into a glare.

"Oh I think you'll find that you'll work quite well when your baby's life is on the line." I freeze and my glare falters. He wouldn't, he couldn't… he would.

Snow laughs a cruel sound like sand paper and walks out of the room turning off the lights and closing the door.

**Peeta's Pov.**

I wake up in a strange room with Haymitch and a doctor looking into my eyes.

"So you're alive." Haymitch grunts.

"Where's Katniss?" I ask. I try to sit up but Haymitch pushes me back down. All I'm wearing is a hospital gown and there are numerous tubes stuck in my arm. "Where's Katniss!?" I demand.

Haymitch falters before he speaks. "I'm sorry boy, they took her before we could get her too." He can't seem to meet my eyes and he has no right to either.

I'm enraged, how could they not get her, how could they leave my beautiful wife to the capitol and when she's pregnant on top of it?! what were they thinking?! Suddenly all I want to do is hit something. And that's a new feeling for me considering that I'm not very violent.

I lunge at Haymitch; my hands wrap around his throat as the doctor screams bringing over men who try to pull me off him; but I'm blowing steam, I'm mad, they took her away, they took her away.

Finally they pull me off but by then I'm screaming: "WHY?! WHY COULDN'T YOU GET HER TOO!?" now there are tears streaming down my face and my throat is horse. Haymitch splutters, trying to get his breath back while I continue screaming. "SHE'S ALL I HAD! I NEED MY KATNISS!" I'm weeping all over the doctors and nurses. They shake their heads sadly and lay me back down on the table.

"Listen boy," Haymitch looks at me hard. "it was hard enough getting _you _out there, we managed to get Beetee but that was a real risk. Don't be an ungrateful bitch about it." he turns away and I'm left in my sorrow. The doctors go back to their work and leave me alone in the big room full of beds.

Along the farthest wall there's a large window; in the haze there's a tiny dot that I'm assuming to be the capitol's ship.

I mentally say goodbye to Katniss and my baby. I don't know if I'll ever see them.

**(A.N) sad ending I know. But **_**The Baby Mockingjay **_**will be up in a few weeks. Don't you worry your pretty little heads. I guess I'll see you soon! And again, thank you all a ton for reading!**


	21. The Baby Mockingjay IS UP!

Chapter update:

**The Baby Mockingjay **is up! Go check it! :D


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